Adopt A Musher Program
Whether you are a teacher in public, private, or homeschool, inside or outside of Alaska, you can sign up for the Yukon Quest Alaska Adopt a Musher program!
This program seeks to grow awareness and interest in the sport of sled dog racing. For teachers throughout the United States, the Yukon Quest’s Adopt a Musher program offers a unique opportunity to bring the excitement of the race into the classroom. The program pairs classrooms with mushers, and provides updates on their progress throughout the race and answer students’ questions about the sport of dog mushing.
How the Program Works:
- Teachers get emailed a mushers name, picture, information as well as videos introducing their kennel and a training video (December), and our Mushing 101 Series fliers
- Your kids can submit questions for a Q & A video of answers from your assigned musher (January)
- Follow your musher as their team of dogs travel down the Yukon Quest Alaska Trail
- How can you incorporate it? (The sky is the limit!)
- Math: Track the miles traveled from one day to the next. Track the rate of speed the dogs are traveling. For younger students, track the number of dogs they have or their change in position on the trail
- ELA: Writing prompts about being out in the frozen tundra with you and your dogs
- Social Studies: Track the trail as it goes over frozen rivers (literally) and mountains, etc
The Yukon Quest’s Adopt a Musher program is a unique and engaging way for teachers throughout the United States to bring the excitement of the sled dog race into their classrooms. By following their musher’s progress and learning about the sport of dog mushing, students can develop important skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking, while also gaining a greater appreciation for the natural world and the people who live and work in it. For the 2023 Yukon Quest Alaska races, 75 classes (totaling 2,500 students) across 18 states participated!
To join the program, email ehorvath@yukonquestalaska.com or message us and we’ll get you connected!