The snow might have melted this week but, before it went away, the third graders from Paint Creek Elementary went on a big adventure.
One-hundred students were divided into 16 teams as they participated in the first I-kid-a-rod, based on the famous Iditarod dog sled race.
‘They really had to strategize and think about it as a team,? said teacher Rachel Babich.
Five or six students on each team acted as the ‘dogs? and could not talk, putting pressure on the ‘musher? to figure out how to communicate.
The event was based on an online discovery by teacher Heidi Boyer and Babich said everyone involved, including some 30 parent volunteers, had a blast.
‘This is our first year and we’re going to start doing it every year,? she said.
‘I love the fact that they can feel the spirit of the Iditarod,? Babich added, noting that the students spent the winter months learning all about the rules, history and spirit of the event.
On I-kid-a-rod race day, the teams took off in two minute intervals and had to stop at three checkpoints along the way, simulating the actual Iditarod.
Each student was responsible for keeping a log book, which had their arrival and departure times, a map and a checklist of mandatory items.
When everyone had crossed the finish line, dogs and mushers alike headed back inside for hot cocoa and doughnuts.