StoryWalk® at Bartlett Arboretum
This page is to help others interested in creating a StoryWalk® in their community. Contact the library at bplib@sktc.net with any additional questions you may have.
The StoryWalk® idea was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
For detailed photos of how our StoryWalk® was created view the Google Doc at this link:
Location:
The location and intent of your StoryWalk® will have some affect on how you create your StoryWalk®. There is a wonderful Arboretum only a few blocks from our library and we met with the steward to propose the idea of building a permanent StoryWalk® on the Arboretum grounds. She was thrilled with the idea and we were able to move forward quickly with the planning stages. If you plan to have a temporary StoryWalk® for a specific event then as much prior notice may not be needed. Just be sure to discuss with the city if you are interested in having it at any city parks or other property beyond the library. The overall length of the walk should be no more than half a mile since it is for young children to be walking.
Supplies:
For a permanent StoryWalk® the following supplies are needed to create a stand that is weatherproof and sturdy enough to withstand the elements. Our StoryWalk® has only been installed for approximately 3 months at the time this information was presented, but we assume there will be general upkeep from year to year so take that into consideration.
*2-3 copies of the book you plan to use
—–Determine how many boards you need to build by how many two page spreads are in the book.
—–Remember to include a board for the cover.
*Heavier weight paper to mount the book cover and pages to before lamination.
—–Our paper is 13″ x 19″ to allow for a variety of book sizes for the future, but to still fit on the boards we built. We will use new paper each year when we create a new book to install.
*5ft tall posts (one for each board)
—–Ours are recycled cedar posts from the Arboretum grounds. 4″x4″ posts purchased from a lumber yard would be an equivalent option.
—–We buried approximately 2ft of post in the holes we dug so that the boards would be eye level for children.
*Exterior grade 3/4″ plywood
—–We made our boards 16″ x 22″” in size to allow for the space around the laminated pages. We had the lumber yard cut them to the correct size.
*Plexiglas® sheets
—–We purchased sheets that were large enough to cut into four of the 16″ x 22″ size, the lumber yard did this for us as well.
*2″x2″ stiles for the caps (stiles are normally used as the spindles for a deck railing)
*Waterproofing sealer for the plywood boards. They will already be treated some because they are exterior, but we chose to add extra protection.
* 3″ deck screws to mount the plywood to the posts. We used two in each.
*Screws, grommets, washers, and nuts to attach the Plexiglas® to the plywood boards.
*Finish deck screws to attach the caps to the boards.
*Heavy duty, double stick foam tape to help hold the book page in place under the Plexiglas®.
—–We only used about 3″ per board in the middle of the top edge. The page will be held in place mostly by the Plexiglas® on the front, the tape is just to help hold it during installation.
If you choose to create a temporary StoryWalk® then the supplies will be much less.
*2-3 copies of the book you plan to use
*Heavier weight paper to mount the book pages on
*Ability to laminate the pages
*Wooden stakes (1 for each laminated page)
*Heavy duty staples to attach pages to the stakes.
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