Quilt 1
In Wisconsin!
- Iditarod Traveling Quilt
My class did the quilt scavenger hunt, and spent last week studying the Iditarod by reading The Iditarod: Story of the Last Great Race.
They learned so much about the race, the great state of Alaska, and the exciting people and their stories that experience the race. Many of them made the popsicle stick sleds after.
Next month we will begin the Iditaread challenge for the whole month. Students will earn Iditarod book marks and pencils and then we will watch “Iron Will”.
The speaker in front of the projection screen is Dr. Ron Cortte, 4-time Iditarod racer, and the lone musher standing with the dog is Tim Calhoun. He has raced the Yukon and other bigger races, and hopes to do the Iditarod in the future. He is not racing this year, but is raising 2 litters of husky pups. His female dog is a breeder, former Iditarod racer, that he bought from someone up there.
Thanks.
Michelle
Click each image for a larger view!
Quilt 2
Quilt 2: Utah to New York City!
Saint Ignatius Loyola School received the Traveling Iditarod Quilt in New York City just a few weeks ago from Utah. In anticipation of the Iditarod quilt and Catholic Schools Week, we celebrated by creating our own school quilt (photo below).
The Iditarod has given us a unique way to integrate our computer curriculum with social studies, math and reading. Our K-8 students are looking forward to tracking the musher’s 
journey using Microsoft Powerpoint and Excel. In addition to using the Iditarod website, we will be reading various books to learn more about this exciting event.
Thank you for allowing our school to partake in this program. We enjoyed viewing the volunteer photos included in our package and appreciate all the lessons and resources available.
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Quilt 3
Quilt’s update is a work sample from the students as part of their writing assignment.
Adventures of Iditarod Traveling Quilt 3: Goodnoe Elementary School, Newtown PA (as told by Quilt #3)
I arrived at Goodnoe Elementary School in Newtown, PA, on a January afternoon. I was a little late getting there, so I was hoping to get opened right away. I had a lot of work to do and not much time to get it done. At first I was passed around in a circle. I was starting to get dizzy! Then, the box opened, and I was finally out of that box once again! Everyone was excited to see me. They thought I was awesome. I was not surprised to see Mrs. Molishus’ second graders waiting to learn about me because I knew they were next on my list of classrooms to visit.
The first thing that happened was the class put me in the middle of their circle so they could get a good look at me. The children touched me, and they thought I was soft and warm. One girl said, “My favorite square is the one in the middle.” Another student said, “I like the quilt because it has so many interesting squares.”
I got to hear some great quilt stories. One story was called Luka’s Quilt. It was about a family from Hawaii and their quilt traditions. Another story was called The Keeping Quilt, which was about a quilt that was passed down from generation to generation in a family. I love hearing about how special quilts can be to people. It makes me feel so important!
The children had so much fun learning about me and about the quilts in the books that they decided to make their own quilt squares. The squares had pictures of important family memories on them. Then, the class tied all the squares together with some fancy ribbon. I love my beautiful new quilt friend!
I had some little adventures while I was visiting Mrs. Molishus’ class. I got to be a part of some Iditarod presentations all the way up in the fourth grade where they had just finished reading Balto (one of my favorite books)! Some second graders carried me, some dog booties, some books, some notes, and some cameras to the classrooms to share what they were learning about the Iditarod. We might have gotten a little lost on the way, but we eventually got there, and the presentations were wonderful! I even got to go to the library and meet Goodnoe’s amazing librarian. And, I got to be in tons of photos and in a video! I felt like a movie star!! If you go to http://www.crsd.org/molishus and click on the Iditarod link, you can see some of the photos posted there, and you will also see what Mrs. Molishus’ class is doing to learn about the Iditarod.
Later on I watched as the class put together two new pages in my fabulous Iditarod Traveling Quilt #3 Scrapbook. I can’t wait to show everyone my scrapbook at the end of my 2009-2010 tour. What a great story a scrapbook can tell—just like a quilt!
Finally, it was time to say goodbye to all my new Goodnoe friends. Luckily, Goodnoe’s principal just came back from a maternity leave, so I got to meet her before I was packed away safely in my cozy box. In my box is a new quilt square that perhaps can be used to make another Iditarod Traveling Quilt. That way, more schools can have as much fun as Goodnoe spending time learning about the Iditarod and about the wonderful world of quilts!
I headed to Connecticut and couldn’t wait to meet my next group of amazing teachers and students. I am sure I will have more wonderful stories to tell!
Quilt 4
Quilt 4 is has recently arrived in Florida and is currently visiting 2010 Target ® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ finalist., Linda Kal Sander. Quilt will be visiting schools and helping to inspire projects. Watch the website and this article for updated information!
