From panning for fool's gold to reenacting the relay that formed the basis of the Iditarod, Debbie Thompson Kids Kove preschool students have learned a lot in the past month about Alaska.

The kids learned about the Alaskan Gold Rush and practiced finding their own gold in a shallow dish of water and sand. They also learned all about a dog named Balto.

In the 1800s, a group of children in Nome, Alaska came down with diphtheria (a word Thompson's students can pronounce surprisingly well) a train was sent from Anchorage with medicine, but it got stuck in a blizzard. To get the medicine to the children, teams of huskies with a driver transported the medicine across the tundra. The leader of the last team traveled for 20 hours straight for the final leg to Nome, lead by Balto.

The kids acted as "mushers" and had their own mini-Iditarod with stuffed dogs they made using socks.

Speaking of Balto, one kid said, "He was the bravest dog."

Thompson also taught kids about the Northern Lights and had them create paintings of it.

"I always try to coordinate art into what we're learning about," she said.

The subjects she teachers her students are often determined by where they show the most enthusiasm. Thompson said she likes to "dive in deeper" to subjects where the kids show interest.