By Maryann MolishusMaryann Molishus is a STAR member of the Discovery Educator Network.

This is my favorite time of year.  While it looks like Discovery will be in Alaska in person soon, my second grade class travels to Alaska “virtually” every February-March to participate in the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  Through standards-based, classroom lessons, fun activities, and an at-home independent optional project, the children learn about the history that led to the actual Iditarod race.  They also learn about the importance of following rules, volunteering, good citizenship, how to navigate a Web site, animal care, etc.  And, there is tons of fun to be had as well. Our kick-off celebration is our Iditarod banquet.  Our fifth grade buddies/sponsors join us as we eat, sing, dance and prepare for the start of the race.  The winners of last year’s Classroom Iditarod also return to give a speech of encouragement to the second graders.  Then, beginning the first Saturday in March, we begin tracking the “real” mushers in Alaska until they have finished the race–about nine days later for the first place winner.  The children come racing into the classroom each morning with news about what is happening, who dropped out, who is hurt, who is in the lead.  That tells me they are reading about it at home-via the Internet and with many parents getting just as excited as the kids!  You see, you couldn’t do this project without the wonderful technology and fantastic people who put together the Iditarod Web site, videos, and images that are available, mostly for free, to anyone who is interested.  You should check it out an share it with your class. Here is a link to my classroom Web site page that shows some images from last year’s banquet. Check out the children’s drawings that were part of the banquet table cloths.  Too cute!! I hope you will be able to join us for the LAST GREAT RACE.  Even if you are not a sports fan (I know nothing about any sport!!), you will get excited about this event.

Attending a professional conference is a great time to work on skills, tools, and projects that you just can’t get to during the busy school year, like setting up a blog.  Let’s see how far I get!