Teach and Learn

Engaging lessons based on Insider video clips.


Our four-legged correspondents write for all ages..


Collection of all things Iditarod.

     
     
    
    
    

Latest Teach and Learn Posts

Taking on Responsibility!

Howdy, Teacher Friends of the Iditarod! The kennel is a bustling with activity as the Iditarod race nears in just about 7 days. There is so much to do to get musher, dogs, and supplies ready for the big race. Everywhere I look at the kennel, there are wonderful volunteers helping us out. There are people …

Zoom Lens – Willow

The community of Willow is located thirty-seven miles north of Wasilla on the Parks Highway.  Right now it’s very quiet at the Community Center but it will be bustling on the next two Sundays.  On the last Sunday of February the Junior mushers will find the finish banner located on the lake access in front …

Zoom Lens: Iditarod Headquarters, Wasilla, Alaska

It’s was pretty quiet at Iditarod Headquarters today (Feb. 24, 2016) but next Wednesday will be the complete opposite.  Mushers will be rolling in with their teams for vet check.  Plenty of volunteer Veterinarians, all certified by the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA), will be on hand for the mandatory physicals.  As you …

Into the Wild with Musher Monica Zappa

What do mushers see on the trail?  In art classes, the Iditarod and the study of Alaska and the Arctic have been a special project this year.  The students at Eanes Elementary School researched the geographic landscape and animals found along the trail and created amazing clay dioramas to represent what they found.   The …

Junior Fun!

Dear Teaching Companions, The Junior Iditarod is a dog sled race for young mushers ages 14-17 that takes place the Saturday before the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. This year it will be on Saturday, February 27, 2016, starting in Knik Lake. Much information about this race is found on the Junior Iditarod Home Page. I …

Report Card Time!

Greetings, Teachers! The dog yard is hustling with enthusiasm as the new puppies and yearlings scamper around exercising and investigating their territory. I try to remember back when I was that young….wow, so much to learn. Not only did I have to gain strength as a sled dog but learn manners. Young and inquisitive had …

Meet Photographer Mike Kenney

….Hi Boys and Girls, When we think of the Iditarod, we think of dogs and mushers. Did you know that there are ….many other people who work very hard to make the Iditarod successful? These people help get things ready,   ….work at the start and restart, work the checkpoints, get the banquets ready for …

Reading and Writing with the Dogs

Dear Educators, The Iditarod Dog Sled Race is about to begin! Within about two weeks, the streets of Anchorage will be howling with fun. The restart in Willow will be all paws on deck ready to embark on an adventure. Your students should be just as excited as us dogs are for the race, even …

Navigating the Iditarod Website

Hello Educators! I hope you all had a chance to read my article “Introducing Sled Dog Ed U. Cation”. After writing my introduction, I meandered on back to the dog yard to take a rest but thoughts ran through my mind that many of you may be wondering how this sled dog knows so much …

Healthy, Happy Dogs – Ten Tips from Sanka W. Dog

In Iditarod it’s all about the dogs and it takes happy healthy dogs to reach peak performance. Any racing musher will tell you that healthy happy dogs are the basis for success and good dog care is the pathway to having healthy happy dogs. If that’s true for Alaskan Huskies, would the same be true …