Author: dspall1

Blog Post #4

by dspall1

Throughout the experiences with Dunwoody Nature Center, I feel like this week was the most hectic and fun I’ve had yet with the amount of tasks that I completed. The last few weeks have essentially just been very chill, but this week was exciting because I got to help prepare for the Fairytale forest festival. The nature center hosted this festival to showcase many fun and exciting events that can be educational for children while also allowing them to play around and show of their creativity. There were many things to do such as tree climbing, painting, coloring, and so much more. Before the festival, I got to work with the center to digitally create signs that showcased an aspect of the forest that would be educational for children. The ones I worked on were the backyard birds station and the forest habitat station. My volunteer partner, Raihannah worked on the wetlands station. I feel like the experience of getting to digitally create these signs was particularly exciting for me as I enjoy practicing any aspect of digital design. Because of the amount of work I’ve had, I hadn’t had the opportunity to do it until now, and I’m extremely thankful because it’s inspired me to get back in touch with my passion for graphic design. Moving on, I’m enjoying my time at the nature center because it’s also allowed me to get in touch with my surroundings and start exploring the outdoors more in my free time. I often find myself going on walks throughout the nature center’s park and admiring the nature around me. More-so, I’ve been able to prepare for the festival through tasks that require me to pick leaves for children’s projects. While volunteering, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about what these creative projects are meant to teach children. I’ve learned about how creativity can go hand in hand with education. The nature center thrives to allow children to showcase their creativity while also learning about the nature that constantly surrounds them. Stations where children can paint bird houses serve as a way to showcase their creativity while also giving back to the world little by little.

Blog Post #2 Dua Spall

by dspall1

On Thursday, the 25th, I visited Dunwoody Nature Center for the first time to meet my organization and learn about my upcoming responsibilities. As mentioned in my introduction, I was surprised by the breathtaking beauty of the park upon my arrival. While I had an idea of  a simple building and a walking trail, the reality exceeded my expectations with its calming, aesthetic, and scenic environment. Although specific tasks have not yet been assigned to me, I have gained insight into the diverse and exciting projects I will soon get to work on. 

These projects include a range of activities, including tasks within the park, interactions with various animals, and involvement in marketing and social media for the organization. Of these, I am eager to engage in ground projects, as the park’s beauty is very exciting, and I am excited to explore it firsthand.

One aspect of my role that I find somewhat challenging is working with children. As the youngest in my family, I have limited experience in caring for or spending around children. However, I am both excited and nervous about the opportunity to learn about teaching children and participating in projects involving them, as I believe it will be a valuable learning experience.

During my visit to the nature center on Thursday, I was happy to learn that I would be attending a program featuring live animals. I had the chance to interact with a live snake and turtle, an experience that had me very surprised yet excited, considering it was only my first day. Through this hands-on encounter, I learned about the habits and habitats of snakes and turtles, gaining valuable information into their roles within our environment.

This initial experience has left me even more excited for the future. In just one day, I have had the opportunity to meet incredible people, learn interesting facts about animals, and connect myself with the nature of the park. I am eager to continue with this organization and learn more about what it has to offer. I hope to apply these valuable lessons in the real world and teach it to others curious about how they can help and connect with nature. 

Introduction: Dua Spall

by dspall1

Hi everyone! My name is Dua Spall. I’m a junior at GSU studying computer science. I chose this course because I wanted to try something outside the realms of technology and connect with nature more while also helping the community. So far, there have been many interesting things that I’ve learned through this course, mostly through the different books that we have read and discussed. I’m excited to take what I’ve learned through the books and apply it to where I’ll be doing community service. Throughout our meetings in class, we have discussed different texts from McKibben, Purdy, and Kathryn Savage. All of these authors have discussed their experiences with nature and how they are connected to it in their own words. I believe these readings are extremely important in allowing us as the readers/students to inspire us to connect with nature through our acts of service we will be doing. Before I read the works from these authors, I never gave much thought to how I can connect with nature personally and what I can specifically do to give back to it. After these readings, especially with Krimmer, I have learned there is a lot someone can do to give back to the earth to grow as we grow alongside it.

My community partner for this course will be the Dunwoody Nature Center. I’m really excited to work with them as they offer many different choices in what you can volunteer in, such as working with animals, doing cleanups, or working with kids. All together, I’m hoping to learn what it truly means to connect ourselves with nature while also learning new things that we can pass on to other people. I hope my experiences at Dunwoody Nature Center help and inspire me to keep giving back even when the course is finished. I recently had my first meeting with them and was welcomed to a very comfortable, calming, and scenic environment. Throughout our readings, we touched on how we as students go to a university in an area where nature isn’t entirely prevalent around us. We’re surrounded by big buildings and noises from cars which leaves us less opportunity to connect with nature. When I arrived at Dunwoody Nature Center, it was extremely quiet, and the only thing you could hear was birds or the sounds of squirrels climbing up trees. This is completely different from what students are used to, so I’m extremely excited to get the chance to connect with nature while also giving back to the community and earth.