Following the Iditarod! Won't be here much . . .

[WTMCassandra]

We are the family who has posted about going to AK this summer with Homeschool on the Seas. I started poking around my library's website for AK books to have my children read, and then I belatedly got around to reading my copy of The Old Schoolhouse that came a few weeks ago.

Well! There were several articles in there about how it's great to learn about AK by following the Iditarod, and there were several helpful links to unit studies and an "E-Iditarod." And then I learned that the Iditarod starts on March 1! Eeeek!

(The Iditarod is the longest dogsled race in the world and is run in AK: Iditarod website (http://www.iditarod.com).)

I started poking around those websites and--Oh. My. Goodness. There are tons and tons of free, way-cool things out there. There are tons of things at my library (it probably helps that I live in WA).

Well, little just-turn-the-curriculum-to-the-next-page me just jettisoned our homeschool schedule and frantically planned a unit study in about 36 hours flat! I'm even going to give my poor children who will be trying to drink from this fire hose at least a week off Latin. (After that, I will need to squeeze at least that in.) Some students in the E-Iditarod have been preparing for about two months, and my children have to get up to speed, choose mushers to "follow," etc., before the race begins.

So, I am posting for two reasons: (1) In case anyone wants to join me on this bandwagon and (2) To let folks who "know" me know that I won't be on the boards much in the next 3-4 weeks.

We are going to go full-time on getting up to speed this week (there's even math and logic worksheets online!) and then see how it goes. I will be devoting at least 50-75% of our school time until the race is over, and who knows, it might stay close to 100%. (Except I'll need to get Latin back in there or things will be UGLY later.)

So much for our history schedule for the ancients . . . we were already 4-6 weeks behind! . . . oh well . . .

See you when the wild ride is over! My husband is wondering who I am and what I have done with his wife . . .

[Peek a Boo]

wow Cassandra!!!

I'd like to get on the bandwagon...er, sled lol!

well, maybe just jump on back and hang on for a bit.......

I'll go check out the site. If there's anyway of talking you into sharing your lessons I'd love to check them out!

have fun :)

[Soph the vet]

Cool website. We have a big dogsled race in Minnesota, the Beargrease, which I believe ran a couple of weeks ago. I volunteered one year to bring dogs up to the start line. It required eight humans to hold back eight dogs as we, or rather they, brought the team up to the line! Lots of power in those paws!

[Angela in TN]

I have that copy of the Old Schoolhouse magazine and I want us to follow the iditarod also but I have never put together a unit study, even though they give you all this information it's hard for me to imagine how to put it all together for a daily schedule. I'd be interested to see what you are putting together and how. It sounds fun to me.

[WTMCassandra]

Well, it's not that well-formed! I just read all the links I could find and printed out stuff I thought the children would enjoy. It's part E-Iditarod, part Homeschool in the Woods, part whatever books my library has, and part just cobbled together, a bunch of miscellaneous STUFF. I only have rough plans for the first three intensive days catching up: Today, the race; tomorrow, the dogs; Wednesday, the mushers. We're trying to get up to speed. There's a great site for "Iditarod Math," and teacher lessons from "Teacher on the Trail." I'll probably sign up for "Itidarod Insider" today. My plan is just to wallow in Iditarod stuff until we get tired of it. We will each plan one musher to track and do that each day of the actual race. To practice for that, we are going to choose a musher each for the Jr. Iditarod and try that first. Sorry I don't have more specifics than that. If you want to email me privately at s l f i n k AT m a i l DOT c o m, I would be glad to send my list of links. However, I have also printed out stuff that's not on that list . . . so you may still have to forage a bit. But there's lots out there, and it's pretty easy to find. Well, gotta run!

[Peek a Boo]

Cool website. We have a big dogsled race in Minnesota, the Beargrease, which I believe ran a couple of weeks ago. I volunteered one year to bring dogs up to the start line. It required eight humans to hold back eight dogs as we, or rather they, brought the team up to the line! Lots of power in those paws!

We watched a dogsled race in NY a few years ago. I was astounded at how NONE of the dogs would wait nicely in the harnesses, lol. There was ONE dog out of the hundred or so we saw that fit my stereotype of A Sled Dog --he [she? lol] stood poised at the head of the sled, perfectly still, waiting while the other dogs went berserk behind him. Nobody needed to handle him! i keep meaning to look more into training dogs for sled races after remembering that.....

[WTMCassandra]

Yes, we have learned that the mushers have a term for it: "four off the floor." That means the dog is jumping off the ground with all four feet. Mushers try not to hook the dogs up until the last possible minute. They love pulling so much they just want to go, go, go. It is pretty funny.

[Perry]

Have you read "Winterdance" (http://www.amazon.com/Winterdance-Fine-Madness-Running-Iditarod/dp/0156001454), by Gary Paulsen? It is hysterically funny. Although Paulsen is also a children's author, this one isn't for kids.

[WTMCassandra]

I read it just this week! Oh. My. I laughed until I cried real tears. Yes, it is overall definitely not for children, but I'm thinking about reading a little section of it aloud to my children (with a teeny bit of editing)--the section about "Major Wrecks." Horizontal Bungee Jumping. Six Skunk Night. Oh. My. Goodness. I also read "Race Across Alaska," the biography about Libby Riddles.

We followed the Jr. Iditarod this weekend, although a lot less than we wanted to, because our *&&%$ internet decided to go out for the majority of the race! I hope that doesn't happen with the real Iditarod. This has been the first major internet outage in the year we've lived here, so I hope it doesn't repeat.

[Crissy]

Cassandra, this looks great!
I'll look into this more tomorrow, but I think we may join you.

What fun!

[WTMCassandra]

Crissy, if you'd like, email me and I'll send my list of links. It doesn't include everything I'm using, but it includes most of it (some worksheets I printed off so I didn't bookmark the site). I also got books from the library based on what they had of the various booklists recommended.