Resources for Learning About the Iditarod

The "Last Great Race" the Iditarod begins today. The race covers more than 1000 miles across the wilderness of Alaska. If you, your students, or your children would like to learn more about the dogs, people, and geography of the race, the Iditarod website has a student section containing links to some online learning activities.


The Discovery Channel offers 26 video clips related to the Iditarod race. The clips cover information about the dogs, the mushers, the sleds, and the history of the race.

National Geographic Kids offers a simple ten question quiz about the Iditarod.

The From Alaska Educational Program has five pre-made units of study about mushing (dog sledding). Each unit has articles, images, and quizzes about mushing. Three of the units also include video and audio clips.

For your students who are interested in learning about the dogs used to pull the sleds over the 1100 mile Iditarod course, the American Kennel Club is a good place to find information about Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies. I should note that many of the dogs that run in the race aren't entirely pure-bred dogs. One of my colleagues is a musher (not in the Iditarod) who has teams that aren't what you might expect to see when you think of sled dogs.

The Nature of Things - Man, Dog, and Genetics

The cover story of the February issue of National Geographic is all about dogs and the genetics that create so many variations of looks and sizes in dogs. The online article and photo gallery is packed with interesting bits of information about man's best friend. Reading the article (I still get the print edition delivered to my home every month) reminded me of this documentary that I watched on Snag Films a few years ago.

The Nature of Things: Man and Dog, An Evolving Partnership is a 45 minute look at the evolution of dogs from wild pack animals to domesticated companions bred for specific purposes. A preview of the documentary is embedded below.