Each year on the first Saturday in March, male and female dog sled mushers gather in Anchorage, Alaska, for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. This year our students learned about this race in PE and got a chance to try it out in the gymnasium. It was great fun as the children acted as the mushers and dogs. The gym was set up with various pieces of equipment that stood as obstacles for the dogs to maneuver around. Mats were used as mountains, tarps stood for water, yarn balls were snow, hippity hops were boulders, and there were some fake trees. Along the route there was also a few "wild animals." We used cereal as our pretend dog food and the musher had to feed the dogs and make sure that they rested before they got back on the trail. Students learned that when the musher says "Gee" it tells the lead dog to turn right. "Haw" is left, "Hike" is go, "Whoa" is stop, "Easy" is slow down, and "On By" means to pass another sled. Students know that the lead dog is very important and must be able to follow the commands of the musher. We read a book that taught them the musher words and watched a short video about the Iditarod. Each class has chosen one male and one female musher from the real Iditarod race and will follow their progress for the week. When we return from Spring Break we will discuss who the winner was of this almost 1000 mile race. If any class chooses the winning musher, they win a Popsicle party! Good luck to all classes!
