Coding the Iditarod Trail in Action The Trail
Happy New Year to all of you! I hope the turning of the calendar brings you all joy and health as you move into 2026! 2026… that just makes the Iditarod seem even closer now that we are into the new year!
A new year always brings new adventures, and January’s lesson is no different. Together we are going to dive into an exciting activity where kids will use computer technology and block code to “code the Iditarod trail.” This activity begins with you printing the ready-made trail, cutting it out, and taping it onto a large piece of bulletin board paper into the shape of the trail. Students will then work in small groups, along with a coding device, to code the robot to travel the Iditarod trail. Students have several expectations that help them not only to learn computer coding, but also help them understand the race. For example, students will code the robot to stop at each checkpoint and speak it’s name. This helps them learn the checkpoints in order as well as approximate distance between them compared to others. Students will code the robot to take 2- 8 hours layovers and 1-24 hour layover, having the robot “declare” the layover and count that number of seconds. This helps them learn that not only do they take these longer stops, but also where they can and are taken along the trail. Students will work cooperatively with group members and demonstrate perseverance even when difficulties arise. This helps them learn that this is what mushers do every time they step onto the back of the sled. They must work with their dog team and fight through adversity. Some students will complete the task while others will not. This is completely okay! This is the perfect time for a discussion bringing the realities of the Iditarod home to them. Not all mushers will finish the race. Some mushers will finish, but days behind others. This is part of the learning as well. Just like actual mushers, some student groups will finish and others will simply celebrate how far they did get! Willingness, challenges, trial and error, and giving your absolute best is all part of the journey!
Differentiation:
While I have used Sphero Bolt for this project, with a little tweaking of the expectations, there are a number of other robotic options for any grade level and budget!
3+ Bee Bots: no screen needed, works in a forward, backward, left, right format, arrow buttons on the device
3+ Cubetto: wooden box design, no screen needed, uses its own control board where physical blocks are placed creating code
4+ Indi: car robot device, no screen needed, colored mats are used to direct the robot
4+ Code and Go Robot: mouse robot device, no screen needed, works in forward, backward, left, right format, maze pieces direct the robot
5+ Botley 2.0: larger robot, no screen needed, contains its own separate coding controller
6+ Dash: larger robot device, uses on-screen code and/or voice commands
7+ Ozobot: very small, 2 ways to use-on screen coding or following color coded lines made with markers
8+ mBot: adds engineering as well, build/assemble the robot first
8+ Sphero Bolt: on-screen coding, countless features and options, very durable
8+ Sphero Mini: on-screen coding, very small, fewer features than Sphero Bolt
12+ Sphero RVR+: larger device, more advanced, vehicle shape running on tracks, would need to modify the trail to accomodate its size/turn radius
Video of my class doing this project complete with music! Enjoy!
