Creating a classroom environment that is conducive to learning is essential for any teacher to accomplish.

Creating a classroom environment that engages the learner and builds an atmosphere that enhances the learning process helps students be successful in school.

Every educator knows that the environment created by the teacher can facilitate the learning process.  Using Iditarod in the classroom encourages a classroom environment designed for students to be collaborators and team members.

A musher must organize and pack the dog sled in a way that leads the musher to a successful run along the trail.  Being able to find what is needed and use it is important, just as it is important for the classroom to be well organized.  The arrangement of the furniture, the choice of colors, and the general feel that is obvious when students walk into the room are very important factors.

Thank you, Sara Grant, Canada for sharing your classroom map idea with us! (Above) We’re proud to showcase it in this article.

These bulletin board ideas might take you on a trail to creating your own Iditarod classroom!

 Ideas from Teachers:

Click here to view Bulletin board ideas sent to us by Kimmy. (Click here!)

In Georgia, teachers Lisa and Patti share these photos from their school.  The school wide theme that year was:  Determination – Feel it!  Show it!  Live it!

  From Indiana!

by Joy Davis, Indiana

Students in Indiana are getting Iditarod fever.  Mrs. Davis’s class has prepared their annual ‘Meet the Mushers’ display.

Men, women, veterans and rookies are in specific categories down the hall.  Each musher has a photo posted with individual information including education, previous jobs, where they live, and their websites.

This is an interesting and fun way for students to learn while they are walking down the hall.  It also raises the interest level around the entire school!

Creating Classroom Displays by Joy Davis

The class did research on the different dog teams that ran in the Iditarod in 1980’s and 90’s.  The students created a display showing mutts to pull the sled.

 The lead dog is a dachshund.  The musher is “Denali” a sled dog that Mrs. Davis received at Vern Halter’s Dream a Dream Dog Farm for placing first in the bootie race among fellow campers at the Summer Camp for Teachers event Mrs. Davis attended.

Images from Sandra Pedersen’s Classroom in Texas

Sandra Pedersen Bulletin Board

Click on thumbnail images to view a larger image.

All photos in this gallery are by Iditarod Trail Committee. Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the photographer.

From Katie Anderson’s classroom:

From Katie Anderson

What do you do to make your room “IditaReady”?  when do you start getting your classroom environment ready?  What’s on your ‘Idita’ Bulletin Board?  Send us your ideas!   We’ll share them with teachers!  Images are appreciated!