I have been yearning for an Iditarod Monopoly game for several years now.

Then I started seeing all of the Homeworkopoly games on Pinterest… and I really wanted to combine that with the Iditarod Monopoly game.

I searched Ebay every couple of weeks or so… but they were always going for close to $100.

Then I saw one going for about $40.  In the description, the seller mentioned that the game pieces and cards were all sealed but that there was some writing on the board.

Well, that was okay, I really only wanted to see what was on the board and cards… a little writing wouldn’t be too bad.

When the game arrived, I was in for a surprise. The “writing” on the board is signatures from Doug Swingley, Jeff King, and Dee Dee Jonrowe!  Amazing right?

The idea behind Homeworkopoly is to encourage kids to complete and turn in their homework!  I just tweaked that idea so that it is Iditarod themed!  By playing the game the students will become familiar with the checkpoints on the race course.

Every Friday afternoon, students who have completed and turned in their assignments for the week will be able to take a turn.  When it is their turn they will roll the die, move the appropriate number of spaces, and deal with the space they land on.  The game could be played for the entire year or just a semester.

Here are the details:

1.  To make the gameboard, just print the PDF, cut out the pieces, and assemble the board.   It could be mounted to a bulletin board or mounted to cardboard to use on a table.  The title can be printed, assembled, and mounted in the middle of the board.
2. Print the Community Sled Dog Cards and cut them out.
3. Make game tokens.  I plan to take pictures of my students with winter or kennel hats to make my pieces.
4. You can decide what to do with the special spaces. My ideas are below, but feel free to make it your own!

Spaces:

1. Players start in Anchorage (GO) and move clockwise around the board.
2. When the kids land on any checkpoint space, their turn is finished for the week.
3. Community Sled Bag:  Draw a Community Sled Bag card and follow the directions on the card (cards direct movement on the board –move forward, backwards, or to a specific space)
4. Equipment Spaces (Snow Shoes, Dog Booties, Sled, Dog Kennel):  These spaces are a good place to award privileges.  For example, land on the Dog Kennel and get to keep a stuffed dog on your desk for the week.
5. Race Trivia Stop:  Challenge the player to answer a trivia question about the race to win a small prize
6. McGrath – Spirit of Alaska Award:  land here and win an Alaska sticker (the first musher to McGrath wins a Spirit Mask)
7. Trail Route Splits:  This is where the trail splits between the Northern and Southern Route. The halfway prizes are awarded in the split.  Land here and earn a chocolate coin (the halfway prize for mushers is gold nuggets)
8. Nome to GO! :  Each time the students pass GO they could earn a prize such as a homework pass or some other privilege.

Have fun with it!

Downloads here:  Community Sled Bag Card Backs   Iditaopoly Gameboard  Community Sled Bag Card Fronts a