Paws Along the Trail with the Finisher’s Belt Buckle As the biggest football game of the year approaches, it brings to mind the prize the champions receive: special rings. The Iditarod is similar! Rookie mushers who complete the grueling race across the wilderness of Alaska win a special prize: the Finisher’s Belt Buckle. How did …
Paws Along the Trail with Team Captains How do mushers who use dogs from the same kennel choose their Iditarod dog teams? Matthew Failor says they divide up the dogs “like a school yard game.” In 2017, he and Michael Baker chose teams from the same kennel, 17th Dog. “We choose certain dogs to balance the …
Paws Along the Trail with Life Lessons You can learn a lot from a bunch of dogs! Exxon Mobile, a major sponsor of the Iditarod Education Department, is correct with this logo. Cindy Abbott, recipient of the 2015 and 2017 Red Lantern Awards, is a musher with outstanding persistence and a strong sense …
Paws Along the Trail with a Friend “As long as he has a dog, he has a friend; and the poorer he gets, the better friend he has.” – Will Rogers For a creative writing activity, give students Will Rogers’ quote and ask them to write their thoughts about how dogs can be friends for …
Paws Along the Trail with Daylight Hours One of my students once asked, “Why isn’t the Iditarod run in January when there is more snow?” This activity may provide an answer. Winter solstice is almost upon us. My students have been solving a lengthy math problem: what will be the daylight hours in our home …
Paws Along the Trail with Light What arctic animal might a sled dog team encounter along the Iditarod Trail? Moose? Bison? Likely. Polar Bears? Unlikely, yet possible along the coast. I happened upon these Christmas ornaments in a store and was troubled by penguins paired with a Native Alaskan and a polar bear. Both …
Paws Along the Trail with STEM Our school has an initiative to incorporate more STEM projects, creating student thinkers and problem solvers. My latest STEM project combined sled dogs and robotics! Students were given the task to design a robotic dog paw. To introduce the idea, students were directed step by step to create a …
Paws Along the Trail with Dr. Jen If you get the opportunity to speak with any musher on the Iditarod, you sense their passion for dogs and the outdoors. So many have even changed lifestyle to incorporate a simpler, work-with-your-hands way of life. Dr. Jen Freking, wife, mother, veterinarian, and musher, talked with me about …
Paws Along the Trail with Thankfulness The Thanksgiving holiday is almost here. We often ask our students to reflect on being thankful. Here’s what three of our 2018 Iditarod mushers said in regard to thankfulness! “I am thankful for being able to share my childhood dream with other kids.” -Jason Campeau …
Paws Along the Trail with Similes I often need to tell people that I don’t teach the Iditarod. The Iditarod race is a tool for teaching my required curriculums of math, reading, writing, social studies, and science. As I’ve written previously, I feel that one of a teacher’s biggest dilemmas is motivating students to want …
