{Iditarod studies} Building a Lego dog sled

The Iditarod started last weekend. I had a lot of activities planned in the lead up to the Last Great Race. I still have those activities planned, since we have done very few.

We started off by reading lots of Iditarod and sled dog books. That was a good prep for watching the start of the Race to the Sky. Then things slowed way down for us, Iditarod-wise.

We kept track of the Junior Iditarod where our neighbor, Jenny Greger came in 5th place (the first girl and the first non-Alaskan!). She won “Best Cared for Team” and one of her dogs won “Best Lead Dog.” We are so excited for her.

Now, it’s day five and we better get after it. We are checking the current standings and paying attention to where the mushers are. Next year we’ll keep track on a map. I don’t want to use all my activities the first year. 😉 We are also checking how many dogs they have. Mushers can send dogs back on a helicopter taxi if they can’t run, or they aren’t needed. Sometimes fewer dogs are faster than more dogs. Go figure.

Since we are Lego-crazed around here, I picked up a pack of ten dogs. After the boys went to bed, I set up the dogs (see photo above) and left a note:

Dear Finn and Anders,
Good morning! Can you build a sled for this dog team? They want to run in the Iditarod!
Love, Mommy

My plan was to a) have a rewarding activity for the boys that uses creativity, teamwork and spatial skills, and b) to buy myself some extra time in bed.

It worked on both accounts. On, you huskies!