Arriving in Galena

I don’t know about you, but I’m still not quite ready to say goodbye to this year’s race or the trail…. and my kids aren’t really yet either.  The Iditarod still comes up routinely in conversation, we’re still unpacking all of my goodies from all the boxes I shipped home, we are still Skyping with some of the schools I met discussing the race, and we are still getting letters from some of the schools I visited on the trail.  We are also still planning and wrapping up some lessons and projects that we will share with you as the year winds down.

If you are looking for a way to get a first-hand account of this year’s race, Ken Anderson has let me know that he is scheduling his Cyber-Visits for the spring!  Using Go-To Meeting, he talks about the race and his life in rural Alaska and then even takes his computer down into the dog yard so that he can introduce the kids to his dogs!  We have usually participated in this virtual field trip in the fall as an introduction to the race, but this year we are doing ours in a few weeks. I’m really excited to get the chance to chat with him and get his take and stories from the trail!  You can get more information about scheduling your own virtual trip here:  LINK

If you are looking for a way to take your Iditarod teaching to the next level, youshould plan to join us in June for the 2014 Summer Camp for Teachers.  This nine day conference is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in everything that is Iditarod!  We will live at the Dream a Dream Dog Farm for three days where Iditarod finisher Vern Halter will help us learn about raising, training, and racing sled dogs!  We’ll get to go out and visit the kennel and help with chores, take the puppies for walks, and even get to take a cart ride!  It is the most amazing experience and the perfect way to get a taste of what life is like for a long-distance musher and his faithful athlete companions.  During the rest of the conference we will hear from many speakers that will tell us not only about the ins and outs of the race, but will share many ways to integrate the race into our daily curriculum.  We will get to visit the kennel and studio of official Iditarod artist Jon Van Zyle (my favorite place on earth), visit Iditarod Headquarters where we can take a cart ride with Raymie Redington, and even have the chance to search for moose and take a glacier hike!  To wrap up our time, we will be at headquarters for the Volunteer Picnic and the first day of sign-ups for the 2015 Iditarod!  You’ll get a chance to get autographs and see first-hand who signs up for next year’s race!  It is really one of the most inspiring professional development experiences of my career.  You can learn more about the camp here:  LINK

I hope you’ll stay with us as we continue to travel the trail through the spring.  If your kids have done any great Iditarod writing, I hope you’ll share it with me – I’d love to add it to the Tales from the Trail section of the blog!