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In the spring of 2021 we were presented with a bus and asked: how would you transform this bus? We were given paper, pencils, markers, measuring tapes, paint samples, information on bus conversions and time to explore the bus.
We developed proposals for using the bus as a greenhouse, classroom, hangout space, music studio and more. Overwhelmingly though the most popular suggestion was to use the bus as a library.
Over the next year we started to convert the bus. First we moved it into its new location in the forest. Next we problem solved how to get the seats out (this was the most challenging part!). And finally we started work.
After removing the seats we installed a new floor and shelving. Then the fun began! We worked together to design, decorate, and set up the new library space. Our oldest class designed and painted a mural on the outside of the bus, helped to move and organize books, and decorated the inside. The younger Learners worked together to inventory and organize the books. We even planted native plants and inoculated logs surrounding the bus with mushrooms. It was a project that needed all hands on deck!
Finally in the spring of 2022 we were able to open the doors of the book bus. At our
spring community event we prepared speeches and opened the doors for our families to explore. The families even submitted name suggestions for the new library, which is now called: The Blue Ridge Book Bus.
We love that our library is cozy and inviting. In the last weeks of the school year we enjoyed picking books out of the library and reading in the hammocks. We're eager to get back to reading in our library when the school year starts again!
