2012 Teacher on the Trail™, Blynne Froke, spoke to us of her adventures. She also shared an engaging lesson incorporating the Iditarod into reading, research, and art with an etching project. We thoroughly enjoyed trying our hand at etching sled dogs onto boards, but there was more to her presentation that hit me. At one …

Severe weather, sleep deprivation, and animal encounters are just a few of the challenges of participating in the Iditarod.  In Gary Paulsen’s Woodsong, he recounts his adventures in completing the Last Great Race on Earth! This book of memoirs is great for upper elementary and middle school students.  It gives students the opportunity to experience …

Each year, through generous donations from businesses and schools, students in need receive new books to read.  Most of the schools in need are along the Iditarod Trail or other communities in Alaska, but we try to include schools in need anywhere in the United States this project. We are now accepting applicants from classrooms …

Gary Paulsen, an Iditarod finisher, is one of my favorite authors for my 4th grade students.  Paulsen’s style of writing is engaging and keeps the readers on their toes.  Currently my language arts class is reading Hatchet, a story of a thirteen year old boy who survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness.  I …

Tonight was a page out of a Gary Paulsen book.  While out on an evening drive with a few other teachers we spotted a porcupine, a moose, and a BEAR!  Living in Chicago these are not animals I see every day, so I was quite energized to see all three in one night.  The moose and …