Clean air may be a highly desirable concept, but a difficult one for a teacher to try to get students to grasp.

Enter the nation’s first clean air mobile museum, which will be on display from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Bartlett’s Clare Woods Academy, 801 Carillon Drive.

“Our kids are so visual, almost all the learning we teach is hands on learning,” said Janice Fleming, paraprofessional in the primary department of the special education school.

“They’re very tactile; it’s important for our students to touch things to learn about them. The bus fits right in with our curriculum.”

The 45-foot brightly colored Clean Air Club bus, featuring hands-on, interactive exhibits, was the brainchild of Cook-Illinois Corp., the largest family-owned and operated school bus company in the country. The corporation uses biodiesel fuel in most of its 1,700 school buses on a daily basis.

“Our goal is to provide a cleaner and safer environment for students, but also make it a fun learning experience. That’s why we decided to retrofit a bus and create a museum to educate kids on the importance of clean air and how they can make a positive impact on air quality specifically and the environment in general,” said John Benish, CEO of Cook-Illinois Corp.

“We plan to travel to many schools throughout the Chicago area and educate as many children as possible on the importance of going green.”

The whimsical bus features cartoon character drawings of school children, clouds, butterflies and rainbows.

“We’re always talking about the students’ responsibility, and their responsibility with the Earth,” said Fleming, who organized the event. “We recycle, celebrate Earth Day and read books all throughout the year. It’s nice to get some hands-on learning for them.”