Monday, March 19, 2012

Building a Sled

Daniel M. and Sawyer were busy building a sled this weekend. They used an old ironing board and other supplies. The sled will be used as a prop in their play about the Serum Run.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Natalie's Dog Sled Ride


Did you know that Natalie went on a dog sled ride with dog's from Ed Stielstra's kennel? Her mom sent me this picture to share on our blog. She went to Boyne Ski Resort with her family this winter. That is where some of Ed's dogs work giving people rides. When Ed found out that Natalie was from our class, he made sure to send some souvenirs to Boyne for Natalie to bring back to our class. Thank you, Natalie for bringing them to us. Did you have a fun ride?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

MITCH SEAVY: [DALLAS] HAS IT SEWN UP by Dan K.

Mitch Seavey had a promising team, but it doesn’t look like he has a chance for a 2012 Iditarod win.

His dogs got sick and Mitch is very heartbroken because he is racing to win.
His toughest competitor is his son, 25 year old Dallas Seavy, who has the win in his grasp “ if he does what he knows how to do, and that’s run dogs,” Mitch Seavy said.
Seavy said” if he were on the side lines and not racing he would be rooting for Dallas.”

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Zoya Scratches by Georgia

Zoya DeNure scratched on the Iditarod. Why? Because her dogs had a eye infection. Since they were sick and they were not eating well, Zoya decided to drop out. In her words she says they were”way off’. But fortunately she did have a great start and she’s hoping that her dogs will get better.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Dropped Dogs


If you check the current standings for the race, you will see that many mushers have dropped dogs along the way. Do you wonder what happens to those dogs? The Iditarod Race Committee has a plan for their care and safety. Many are transported back to Anchorage or on to Nome by airplane. Here's a picture of some dogs on their way to Anchorage. Can you find out who takes care of them when they arrive?

Iditarod Mushers by Georgia

On the Iditarod there will be 66 mushers. 8 have already withdrawn 2 girls and 6 boys. For the mushers who are still doing it, there are 18 girls and 48 boys. The mushers that have set records in the past are Rick Swenson for being the only 5 time winner, Lance Mackey for winning 4 times in a row,Mary Shields for being the first women to finish the race, Libby Riddles for being the first women to win, John Baker for the fastest winning time,Doug Swingley for being the first winner from out of Alaska, Robert Sorlie for being the first winner from overseas.To learn more go to www. Iditarod.com

Deedee is ready! by Norah

In Takontna on March 7, Deedee Jonrowe had her 24 hour break. Not only was the break for her but the dogs too.She took her break as an example to rest, shower, and to give her dogs some time to rest. Deedee is also prepared to camp on the ride to Ruby.She thinks that the trail will remain slow so I think she will definitely be camping.If you want to learn more about Deedee go to www.deedeejonrowe.com or visit www.iditarod.com.

Trent and the Halfway There Award by Norah

If you want to know why Trent Herbst was in 2 place and he still has not taken his 24 hour break,well here’s the answer.He was trying to win the half way there award again! Unfortunately Jim Lanier won it but this is just the first part of the race. Trent is doing great!

Hugh Neff at Rainy Pass by Sawyer

Do you know that Hugh Neff inspires kids to read so much that he put Cat in the Hat striped coats on his sled dogs in the 2012 Iditarod? He was going over a rocky patch of rocks in a windy, cold storm while he was heading to Rainy Pass (a checkpoint), and he was running between the runners (a part of the sled) and smack!!!! his sled hit the side of the rutty, solid rocks and he almost fell off his dog sled. He recovered and kept on going in the chilly white out. Maybe he almost fell of his sled because he was thinking about eating Green Eggs and Ham just like the Doctor Seuss book.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Silvia Furtwangler’s dog Whistler by Emma and Georgia

Whistler,Silvias crazy dog ran away on Thursday morning before the race from a dog truck. Slivia played a recording of Whistlers teammates barking from her iPhone. She thought that Whistler may come back, but sadly didn´t come.Some employees at Arc of Anchorage offered him an enchilada breakfast in the parking lot and dragged him into the garage with roast beef.She came from Norway and Norway is Nothing like the city. Zoya DeNure and her husband gave Whistler to Silvia. Whistler plans to return to the team in Willow.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Mushers Will See Northern Lights

I just received an alert from the University of Alaska. The northern lights will be visible on the trail tonight if the sky is clear. If your musher is awake and outside there will be a special treat in the sky. To find out more about the northern lights, you can search the internet using the words "aurora forecast." Enjoy!

What a Welcome!


Dear Boys and Girls,
The whole time I was away I was thinking about you at school. I missed seeing you check on your musher and move your musher down the trail on our big Iditarod Trail in the hall. I am so glad to be home. It warmed my heart to see you all this morning and get a big hug from you. I loved seeing the posters you made about hazards on the trail. I loved reading all of your welcome back cards, the poem from Emma and Norah, and the Dog Book that Kenzie made. After my big trip, coming back here felt like getting to Nome. Now I know how mushers feel when they cross the finish line and how happy they are to see their family and friends. Thank you all for being such great fans and supporters of me!
Mrs. A.

Official Restart in Willow

Willow Before the Restart

Pictures From the Ceremonial Start

Monday, March 5, 2012

Ceremonial Start and Official Restart

Dear Boys and Girls,
By the time you read this, the race will be well under way. I hope you are figuring out how to read the race statistics. It can be kind of confusing at first. This weekend was like a dream come true for me. I had a ball walking the streets of Anchorage before the Ceremonial Start with my new friends, the other two finalists and my special friends Linda and Finney. I'll show you pictures of them as soon as I get back. We found a perfect place to watch the mushers about a block down from the start at a corner. We could watch the teams sprinting down the street towards us and then making a turn. It was great fun watching the dogs pulling and pulling. On Sunday, we drove out to Willow Lake and watched as the dog trucks arrived and mushers finished their final packing of their sled bags. Then we walked to a place where we could view all of the mushers as they left the trail leading across the lake into the wilderness. This was a clear day with a blue sky. The swon banks were taller than I am tall. We all climbed up a snowbank and sat on top in the sun where we could take pictures of every team race by. It was magical to know I was watching this world class dogs and mushers as they began the biggest trip of their lives. I can't wait to share all my pictures with you. It is 11:30 pm sunday night as I write this and I am leaving my hotel room to go work in the communications room. I'll be working 12 midnight to 6am posting information from the checkpoints to the current standings page on iditarod.com. Gotta go for now!
Mrs. A.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Shining eyes, wagging tails, happy howls--that’s the welcome you get at Martin Buser’s Happy Trails Kennels. As a four time Iditarod Champion, Martin is an expert when it comes to breeding and raising world class sled dogs. He shared his tips with me and the group of teachers that are here for the Winter Iditarod Conference for Educators. He breeds his dogs to be the marathon runners of the animal world. Did you know that running the Iditarod from Anchorage to Nome is the same as running 46 marathons? His dogs are bred to love to run and run and run. They are also bred to love to eat. That is absolutely essential. When dogs put in those kinds of miles they need fuel to give them energy. Eating lots and lots of food is the only way to get that energy so his dogs have to have excellent appetites. Sometimes, a few days before a big race, Martin feeds his dogs a little less than usual so they will be a little hungrier than usual when the race starts. That way he knows they will be ready to eat enough along the trail. A great attitude is important, too. Martin does everything he can to keep his dogs happy. If the dogs are having fun, they’ll give the race their best effort. Let’s wish Martin and his team good luck and happy trails for Iditarod 2012!

Ed and Bolt at the Vet Check

The Iditarod is a tough race so it’s important that every dog that starts the race is as healthy as possible. Vet checks before and during the race are mandatory to ensure the health of these super athletes. On Wednesday morning all of the teachers in my group visited Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, Alaska for the prerace Vet Check. Every dog is completely checked over by a team of volunteer veterinarians. The mushers who live in Alaska usually have their vet appointments a week or two before the race, but the mushers who come from farther away have their dogs examined on Wednesday. Guess who was there? Our special Michigan musher, Ed Stielstra! He had just finished having his dogs checked. Ed is hoping to improve his finish this year, but doesn’t think he’ll win because his team is young. Most of his dogs are less than 3 years old, including Bolt, the dog Mrs. Perl’s and Mrs. Anderson’s class raised money to sponsor. Ed said that even though they don’t have the most experience, they are a fun group. He has had more fun this training season than ever before. I had a chance to meet Bolt. He’s a friendly guy-at least I think he is because he tried to kiss me! I hope you enjoy the pictures I took of Bolt and Ed.

Mushers Banquet

Dear Boys and Girls,
You made my day on Friday! I could tell you were ready for the “Last Great Race” to begin. Even though I couldn’t see your faces, I could tell you had worked hard to be prepared for the Mushers Banquet. Your speeches were fantastic! How did your placemats come out? Did you enjoy your special snack? Thank you so much for singing the Iditarod Trail Song to me. It put a smile on my face that lasted all day! During the Mushers Banquet here in Anchorage I was able to meet all 24 of your mushers. I will give you their autographs on Wednesday when I return. You wouldn’t believe how much they appreciated your good luck cards. Guess who I met at the Banquet? Hobo Jim! He gave me his autograph, too. Here is a slide show of pictures I took that evening. You might see your musher, so make sure to pay attention!


Thursday, March 1, 2012

Angie Taggart's Rookie Start

Tuesday

Dear Boys and Girls,


Just imagine a class with 50 students from all over the United States. That was the group I had to teach Tuesday morning. Each of the finalists for Teacher on the Trail had to make presentations to teachers who came to Anchorage to learn about the Iditarod. In the room there were teachers from California, Maryland, Montana, Vermont, Florida, California, Wisconsin, and more. Over the past few weeks, I have been working on my presentation, but I was still nervous. I showed a Power Point presentation with pictures of the dog collages you made in September. Remember when we took them to our Senior Friends? I told all of the teachers about how we display them on a bulletin board to represent how we are all working together like a team to learn as much as we can this year. I also showed them your creative "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs" poems and your Dog Breed Posters. They were very interested in your projects. One teacher from here in Alaska said she is going to make the dog collages with her class on Monday. Isn't that cool? Once my presentation was over, I listened to the other finalists and their teaching ideas. both of them had fantastic ideas. I hope we can do them in class when I return. The rest of the day, we continued learning about the Iditarod. I listened to a presentation by Nancy Yoshida. She was in the Iditarod in 2010, but had to scratch because one of her dogs ran away. She wrote the whole story in a book that I am bringing back to school for you to read. After that, I listened to another musher, Angie Taggart. Her dream was to do the Iditarod. She worked for ten years to make her dream come true and finally competed last year in 2011. Angie started by getting a job at Dee Dee Jonrowe's Kennel. Little by little she learned all of the skills she needed. She also bought dogs to build up a team. Finally, last year she was ready to hit the trail. During the race, she wore a sport video camera on her head. CNN made her videos into 4 short videos that you can watch to learn all about what it must feel like to be out on the trail for the first time. After Angie's talk, we all had to go on a field trip to the gallery of John Van Zyle. He has a kennel of siberian huskies who are perfectly trained. If they want to be petted, they have to sit on top of their houses and wait quietly. You wouldn't believe how well behaved they all were for us teachers. Next we went in John's house and learned about his artwork and the many books he has written or illustrated. Did you know he is the official artist of the Iditarod? By now, I bet you are tired of reading all the things I did. It's very late here, so I am going to say good bye for now. I'll write more about my trip soon!





Mrs. Anderson

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

My First Challenge as a Finalist

Dear Boys and Girls,



I have so much to tell you already. Yesterday was a big day. I had to complete my first challenge of the week. It began with a scavenger hunt. I was sent out to find and photograph a raven, mukluks, a mode of transportation, and a state symbol of Alaska. Then I had to find people to interview and ask them questions about the state of Alaska. That part of the challenge was fun. It didn't take me long to find all of the things to photograph. As soon as I walked outside I heard the squawking of ravens. They are scavengers and love to look for food in dumpsters. Soon, I found an art gallery called Native Alaskan Arts. Inside, I found a small handmade sled and a pair of mukluks decorated with the state flower of Alaska, the forget-me-not. I also met the business manager of the gallery who was a Native Alaskan. Her name was Carrie Swanson. She told me about her life and family. She grew up in a town called Bethel which is located in the far north of the state. Her family's specialty is making cozy parkas and clothing made of animal furs. She showed me a picture of her whole family dressed in the clothes they made. The next part of the challenge was harder. I had to go to a room and write a story about the scavenge hunt and interview for a new blog. People were talking in the room and I had very little time to write my story and add my pictures. I had a hard time not getting distracted by all the conversation. Having a deadline made me nervous and sometimes I couldn't think of anything to write because I was worried about running out of time. Just when the time was over, I finished. After that, I had to go to a meeting with the other finalists where we were given our next challenge. We had to work together to create a new blog using Wordpress, something none of us had ever done before. We were given a few directions and told it had to be done because it would be the new Iditarod Teacher on the Trail Finalists website. We didn't have to finish it right then, but it had to be done Tuesday night. I'm so proud of how the three of us worked together and created our new blog. I think it is going "live" tomorrow. That means you will be able to view it and read our articles online soon. I will send you the link when the blog is "live" so you can see what we accomplished. It was a lot of work, but we worked as a team and that made all the difference!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Dear Boys and Girls,
I'm thinking of all of you and wish you could be here. My trip is going great so far! I arrived in Anchorage Saturday afternoon after a long flight from Chicago. As you know, Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska. It is a busy place similar to Grand Rapids with streets full of cars, lots of restaurants, tall buildings, and many different stores. The first thing I did was check in at my hotel. When I entered my room, I was immediately met with the most beautiful view you can imagine. In the distance, majestic snow covered mountains welcomed me. My heart skipped a beat thinking of what the mushers must feel when they are out on the trail. Next, I noticed a festival going on in the streets below. Right beneath me was a city block of carnival rides and a big banner that said "Anchorage Fur Rendezvous." Also called the Fur Rondy, this festival celebrates the days when fur trappers met in Anchorage to trade and sell furs. I could see people milling around in line for the rides and a crowd in front of a stage. I wondered what the people were watching when I saw a man holding up a big, huge fur. It was a fur auction! Even today, trappers bring their furs here to sell. Wow! I guess I really got lucky. I could see all the action right from my hotel room. Since then, I've had a chance to walk around downtown and explore the festival a bit. Many people were dressed for the festival in fur hats and fur coats that looked so warm and cozy. I also saw a short dog sled race. It was just a short race that wound through the streets of Anchorage, but it got me excited for the big race that starts in less than a week. I'll keep writing about my trip in the days to come. I miss all of you! Mrs. A.

Assignment #5

Dear Boys and Girls,


Today in class, you explored a box full of artifacts related to the Iditarod. You also brainstormed questions about the Iditarod. By now, I bet you are realizing there is a LOT to learn about this race. Pick a question or a topic that you want to learn about this week. Try to find the answer using iditarod.com or other internet resources. Then, write what you learned in a google document or on paper. If you use google docs, share it with me by adding my e mail address in the appropriate place and print a copy to show the class. I'm excited to hear what you learned and I know your classmates will be, too!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Assignment #4

Read my last post titled "Mrs. A's Big Trip." When you are done, write down 5 questions that you would like me to answer about the trip BEFORE I leave. Bring them to school by Wednesday morning this week. If you write them on google docs, please bring a copy to school, too. For some unknown reason, some of the documents you share with me on google docs are not getting to me. I'm looking forward to your questions and I promise I will give you the answers in a COOL way!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mrs. A's Big Trip

Dear Class,
Now you know who is taking your "Good Luck" cards to Anchorage-it's me! Yes, I reached my goal of being a finalist for the Iditarod Teacher on the TrailTM 2013! I am heading off on a "once in a lifetime" adventure to Alaska. I will be spending 10 days in Anchorage during the most exciting time of year, the week before the Iditarod. Volunteers will be busy setting up the official race headquarters at the Millenium Hotel. Fans, news reporters, and photographers from all over the world will be arriving. There will be veterinarians, race officials, and sponsors in town, too. Best of all, the mushers and their dogs will be there. I wonder what it will be like? What will I see? What will I hear? Who might I meet? One special event I plan to attend is the Mushers Banquet. All of the mushers go, and many will make time during the evening to greet fans. I will bring each of your cards and deliver them to your mushers. I know they will be glad to have special fans cheering for them all the way from Michigan!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Assignment #3

All of the mushers will need good luck to do their best in the Iditarod. For homework, make your musher a "Good Luck" card using paper from home. Make sure you put your musher's name on the front. Inside, write a note to your musher saying that you will be cheering for him/her during the race. Tell a little about yourself, too. Sign the inside with your name. Add pictures and decorations. Do your very best because I know someone who is going to Anchorage and will deliver your card to your musher before the race.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Iditarod Assignment #2

Hi Boys and Girls! The Iditarod Race is only 26 days away. This week, we need to learn about the checkpoints on the trail. Scroll down and find Websites on the right in this blog. Click on "Scholastic's Iditarod Race Across Alaska." Then click on "Explore the Trail." Click on "even numbered years" to show this year's checkpoints. Start at Anchorage and read about all the checkpoints. Then, answer these questions: If you could visit one checkpoint, which one would it be? What would you see there? Why is it your favorite checkpoint? You may answer the questions in a google document and share it with me or you may write it on paper.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Iditarod Insider Assignment 1

Have you ever wondered what Wealthy PTA does? They help make our school the best learning place ever for all of you. This year they have paid for many special events at Wealthy like the "Brain Stormers" that helped you learn how to write stories. Another learning tool they are paying for is the Iditarod Insider. It has hundreds of videos taken during past Iditarod races. Click on the link below. You will need to log in with the username and password I gave you in school. Watch a few videos that interest you. Write about the one you liked best on a piece of paper or in a googl doc. Make sure to write the title and date of the video first. Then write complete sentences telling what happened, who was there, why it happened, when it happened, and where it happened. Share it with me by Friday, February 3. iditarodinsider.com

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Ed Stielstra's Drop Bags

Hi Third Graders!
Our musher, Ed Stielstra, is working hard to be prepared for the Iditarod. One big job is done. Last week he packed and sent his "drop bags" to Alaska. Each drop bag has the name of a checkpoint written on the outside. Inside are supplies like dog booties, dog food, food for Ed and more. During the race, Ed will have what he needs because his drop bags will be at the checkpoints. If you could go to Alaska for a dogsled trip, what would you pack? Make a list of at least 10 items you would bring. It can be a google document or a hand written list on a piece of paper Share it with me when you are done. I can't wait to read your ideas! Bye for now!
Mrs. A.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Welcome to Iditarod 2012

Hi Third Graders! We finally have snow in Michigan. Now, it is time to get started on our Iditarod "Learning Journey." Please read this blog and click on some of the links. Then, answer this question on a piece of paper and bring it to school tomorrow.
What is your favorite part of Mrs. A's Iditablog so far?