Natural disasters is described effectively by Middleton (2013) – “natural hazards should be defined and studied both in terms of the physical processes involved and the human factors affecting the vulnerability of certain groups of people to disasters.” Natural disasters can be defined as uncontrollable events which have devastating impacts on the lives and environment of the area in which they occur. There are many different types of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and disease epidemics. Most of these can be related and if one happens it is possible that another will follow. A country that is less economically stable than a richer country is more like to suffer the consequences of the disaster with less help and resources.
During this input I had the chance to compare two case studies about Japan and Haiti I found that developing countries have less money and so less resources, meaning that their preparation for natural disasters is poorer. Poor preparation then leads to slower and less effective responses and this then means slower and often less effective recovery. Developing countries also often have fewer countries who are willing to help them, but it is these countries who rely most heavily on international aid.
Prior to my learning, I was unaware of the political impact on natural disasters. It has been proven that the economic status of a country can dedicate how the country prepares, responds and recovers from natural disasters. It is clear that in order to prepare for a disaster, countries must have the money, resources and organisation to be able to do so. As well as this to be able to respond to a disaster the government must have inter-national allies to receive help from in time of need. To be able to recover from a disaster, the country must work together and have an organised plan of how to do this.
Through the use of science experiments in the science input I increased my knowledge of this topic as well as gaining skills I could use as a future educator. We completed an activity using bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, fairy liquid and food colouring to represent a volcanic eruption I developed my ability to use and apply models. In addition to this, through the independent study task, my group and I had to deliver a presentation on Tsunamis. For a science lesson, we decided that pupils could make their own tectonic plates out of play dough and place them together as shown on a map of the tectonic plates. This would not only allow children to understand the way Tsunamis work but allow them to develop the skill of making and applying a model.
This input of natural disasters allowed me to develop my understanding of the topic as well as think about the various different lessons I could use in a classroom.
A food web is basically a process that many animals and humans go through to gain their food. For example, plants getting eaten by small water insects, that get eaten by small fish, who get eaten by larger fish who then gets eaten by us, humans. However, after our directed group study task it has become apparent that the ocean is increasingly becoming an area of pollution caused by humans. due to chemicals being leaked into the water and rubbish being dumped, we are causing harm not only to our wildlife but to ourselves. These dangerous chemicals not only kill the fish but can be spread through the for web causing a mass amount of harm. As well as this, the ocean can be a place that suffers from interdependence due to over fishing and hunting. This not only impacts interdependence environmentally but also economically as fisherman are being forced to sell their boats due to the little amount of income they are getting, in some cases not even enough to feed their family for a week. This was part of our research for our directed group study task that can be shown here in an infographic:
Our climate is continually changing. There is evidence for this change, for example, fossils which tells us that at certain times the world has been much warmer than it is now. Global warming is believed to be the biggest issue causing climate change. Scientists believe that the build-up of green house gases being released into the atmosphere creates and acts like a green house around the planet. This build-up of CO2 is believed to contribute to global warming through the greenhouse effect. This is why CO2 is called a greenhouse gas. The Ozone Layer is becoming thinner meaning that the sun’s ultraviolet rays are reaching earth and becoming more harmful to humans and the earth in general by heating up. These harmful rays can cause great risks of skin cancer, sun burns and other related skins conditions. To be able to keep a positive healthy and wellbeing of the human population we must be able to adapt to climate change (Wals, 2012).
In one of the activities we had to create a model of an animal that could live in a particular biome and the consideration of adaptations the animal would need to survive. I loved this idea for a lesson in a classroom as it allows learners to have creativity as well as expand on their knowledge. Another activity my peers and I completed was about the weather. We completed an experiment that showed the outcome of cold air being more dense than warm air and therefore when warm air rises cold air pushes down creating a storm by pushing each other together. I found this extremely fascinating as it helped with my basic science skills of hypothesising and examining.
I also gained a few tips for outdoor learning some being, always give parents of learners a warning in advance to allow children to come prepared and cut up a yoga mat into small squares for children to sit on outside. This allows pupils to gain full advantage of the outdoor enviroment despite the Scottish weather. During this activity we completed a sensory walk where we went a walk taking in our surroundings through our senses. For example, my group and I considered that the nearer the road we were the noisier it was where as the further away we were the more quieter and peaceful it was. Another activity I completed was to look and find certain bugs and insects in the environment and see how many I could find. I used the ready made bug hotel to do this as well as looking for places that I thought the most suitable habitat for insects would be. We then spoke about the different lesson ideas this could follow onto for example, a research task for groups to consider different insects, their habitats and diet. Following on from this, this activity can lead onto many other areas of the curriculum such as maths and literacy. This can be used in a maths lesson to count up the amount of insects they’re living in one area and compare that with another area using addition and subtraction and using pictures of insects as a form of symmetry . 
My group and I also came up with a literacy activity involving the insect hotel(see picture to left) where learners could rate the hotel and why other insects should or shouldn’t visit this. I feel these activities would be beneficial for not only the learners literacy and numeracy skills but developing their awareness of their natural environment.
The main road (A76) runs through the middle of the town leading to other small villages and Dumfries which is used my thousands per day , see yellow road in picture left. In my town there is a large primary school that holds around 800 kids, a library, five convenience stores, a games hall and a museum that are all the main attractions in this small town. There are many other coffee shops, hairdressers and take away style shops. As the main road coming from kilmarnock runs through the town the town is always busy making retail in my urban environment a strong aspect. There are many parks that attract local football teams to train and children to have a safe place outdoors to congregate.
In addition to this, Mauchline is a town tourists are often attracted to as it as a home town of Robert Burns. This brings in a lot of people due to the famous monuments and the museum of things belonging to Robert burns. The Fairborn hotel allows tourists to stay in the small village and enjoy the historical aspects as well as a small B&B that holds up-to 5 bedrooms. I have just recently noticed blue plaques put up around Mauchline, that allows tourists to gain information on the different buildings that Robert Burns; stayed in, where he went to church, where he met his wife and many more historical sights. I feel this brings the town its historical image back, educating tourists about the famous Robert Burns.
as so may tourists from all over the world and love the thought of a Scottish souvenir. Since then, she has opened an art gallery for Scottish artists to exhibit their work as well as a coffee shop next door. This shows the huge job opportunities that can be developed in my urban environment.