Paulsen's Iditarod Race Inspires Local Students' Hobby Fair

TROY, NY (10/04/2012)(readMedia)-- Student's in the Susan Odell Taylor School's 5-6 grade class will present their hobbies this Friday at the School's Hobby Fair.

The fair follows a lesson centered around author, Gary Paulsen and his hobby, (dog sledding). Paulsen, a novelist, became so involved with dog sledding that it was all he wanted to do. He ran in the great Iditarod race in Alaska twice. He did well the first time, but had a near death experience his second time around. Paulsen's experiences with his dogs led him back to his writing. His novels are often about teenage characters who find themselves very close to nature as a result of an event in their lives.

To celebrate Paulsen's accomplishments and his passion for dog sledding, each student was asked to consider their own hobbies and select one to share at the School's Hobby Fair. Students' developed a way to explain or demonstrate their hobby by creating an exhibit or poster-size drawing illustrating their special interest. The following questions were addressed in their exhibits: 1. What is your hobby? 2. How did you become interested in it? 3. What skills does it require? 4. What materials are needed to do it?.

Some of the hobbies on exhibit include; scrapbooking, puzzles, model rockets, sand castle building, dance, fishing, horseback riding, and skiing.

The "Hobby Fair" is scheduled for October 5th from 2-3 p.m..