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Engaging lessons based on Insider video clips.


Our four-legged correspondents write for all ages..


Collection of all things Iditarod.

    
    
    
    

 

 

Latest EDU Posts

2024 Summer Educators Conference – McCall, ID

The Iditarod Education Department and the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge are teaming up to present “Trailblazing Together” – an educators conference focused on STEM and using sled dog education as a means to boost engagement and improve learning outcomes in the classroom. Open to educators everywhere! Join us June 13 – 15 in beautiful McCall, …

“What’s in the Sled?” STEM: Building the Best Insulated Water Bottle

Have you seen Dallas Seavey’s video about the boots he created for the Iditarod Trail this year?  The six-time champion shared his new footwear system shortly after the race concluded. In the video, he talked about the types of problems he hoped to solve by rethinking the entire concept of footwear on the trail. Seavey …

“Houston, we Have a Connection:” The Overview Effect

If you’ve ever flown in an airplane and looked down at the ground with a sense of wonder, you are getting a similar feeling to what astronauts experience when they look at Earth from space. Astronauts say that this emotion is very difficult to put into words—that perhaps there are no words for it. They …

Introducing the 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™️

Join the Iditarod Education Department in welcoming our 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the TrailTM, Maggie Hamilton, to the elite group of educators to earn this honor.  After completing an involved and thorough application, and the selection process as a finalist in Alaska prior to this year’s race, Maggie accepted this year-long job. All finalists have …

Classroom Culture: Learning through Storytelling

Miriam Körner, the author of the young adult novel Yellow Dog, says, “There is a power that comes from personal story, and that power is strongest when it is shared through storytelling.” Körner lives in Canada with her husband, who grew up in northern Saskatchewan. The novel demonstrates the power of learning through storytelling as …

“Race Day!”: Engineering-Design and the Iditarod Air Force

My experience with the Iditarod as Teacher on the Trail has put me up close and personal with a facet of the race that people might not think about much: the Iditarod Air Force (IAF).  This is why I wanted to highlight the IAF in my March lesson. The race would not be possible without …

Writing Down the Miles

Iditarod 2024 is a wrap. I’m seated on the late evening “banquet flight” with volunteers, mushers, their families, and the Nome-Beltz High School boys basketball team on their way to the state tournament. It’s a 737 packed to the wingtips with stories, memories, tears, laughter, triumph, new friendships and quite a few Iditarod trophies and …

And Just Like That . . .

Hello friends, And just like that . . . it’s over. The 2024 Iditarod Sled Dog Race wrapped up with the Finisher’s Banquet on Sunday night, March 17 in Nome, AK.  38 teams began the race in Willow and 29 teams finished. Jeff Reid, a rookie from Two Rivers, AK brought in the Red Lantern …

Red Lantern: Committed Through The Last Mile

Why is the Red Lantern so important? The Lynden “Committed Through the Last Mile” Red Lantern Award recognizes the musher to make the last run from Safety to Nome.  It symbolizes perseverance and commitment to finishing, even though there are challenges. This morning at 2:22 am, I greeted Jeff Reid as he and his dogs …

What About Mushers Who Scratched?

Dear Friends, The 2024 Iditarod has officially ended with Jeff Reid coming in last, extinguishing the Widow’s Lantern and earning the Red Lantern Award for perseverance.  29 teams finished the grueling race across Alaska.  What about the nine teams who scratched, or had to quit, for various reasons?  What are Sean Williams, Calvin Daugherty, Aaron …