Dear Boys and Girls, Have you ever wondered what happens when a sled dog team is running and one dog has to go to the bathroom? This might be an embarrassing questions for kids, but for us dogs? We don’t care! From early on, we sled dogs learn to go to the bathroom “on …
Dear Girls and Boys, House dogs often sleep on a fluffy pillow bed, but sled dogs in Alaska have their own little huts outside. Instead of curling up on a bed or pillow, sled dogs get cozy on layers of straw. Lately, volunteers in Alaska have been covering straw bales with waterproof plastic. These straw …
Dear Boys and Girls, February 2nd was National Sled Dog Day! It is a day dedicated to us sled dogs, reminding people of how sled dogs helped people with transportation, especially in the northern parts of the world. 1. Sled dogs helped haul mail and supplies to the gold miners during Alaskan Gold …
Dear Girls and Boys, I am a sled dog, and we love to run and pull! Whenever a musher comes out into their dog kennel with harnesses, we dogs start jumping and barking like crazy, almost as though we are saying, “Pick me! Pick me!” Many sled dogs get practice on other races before the …
Dear Boys and Girls, What is currently happening with the mushers? They are packing drop bags! Each musher may send ahead three 50 lb. bags of supplies for EACH checkpoint. Count up the checkpoints on the northern route of the race and figure out how many bags a musher can send ahead. https://iditarod.com/race/2020/checkpoints/ The reason …
Hi Guys and Girls! It’s Gypsy, and I’m back as a canine reporter! So many exciting things are happening for us sled dogs and our mushers; I want to tell you about one of them. For two days in December, all the rookie mushers had a mandatory meeting. Mandatory means they HAVE TO attend the …
Paws Along the Trail with an Iditarod Start If you’ve never incorporated the Iditarod as a teaching tool into your classroom, it can be a bit daunting to get started. We teachers have so many standards to teach that it’s difficult to find the time to add a new idea, no matter how great it …
My journey toward 2018 Teacher on the Trail™ started at an Iditarod Educator’s Camp in the summer of 2016. The thing I first loved about coming to an Iditarod Educator’s Conference was that I met like-minded, passionate teachers! Anyone who incorporates the Iditarod and is willing to travel to Alaska to learn more has to …
Paws Along the Trail to Say Goodbye I can scarcely believe my year as Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ has come to an end. What a great ride it has been! Learning more about the Last Great Race™, this amazing feat of strength and endurance, has been a dream come true. Here are some Iditarod …
Paws Along the Trail with Laughter School is ending for many of us teachers. This is the time of year when standardized tests are completed and some lighthearted academic activities are welcomed in the classroom. I love seeing my students laugh! This activity brought fun moments for our last week together. I thought, “Why not …
