Class Note: The Home and Its Surrounding

Subject: Home Economics Class: Nursery Three (Ages 5–6) Topic: The Home and Its Surrounding Theme: My Environment and Me

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1. Comprehensive Core Concepts

What is a Home?

A home is a very special place. It is more than just a building made of blocks, cement, wood, or stones. A home is a place where a family lives together in love and safety. Inside our homes, we are protected from the hot Nigerian sun, the heavy rains, and the cold winds.

In our home, we do many important things: we eat our meals (like yummy Jollof rice or pounded yam), we sleep to get strong, and we play with our brothers and sisters. Every home is different—some are big houses with many floors, and some are small, cozy flats—but every home is a place where we should feel happy and safe.

The Different Rooms in a Home

To keep our lives organized, a home is divided into different sections called rooms. Each room has a special "job" or purpose:

• The Living Room (Sitting Room): This is the "Welcome Room." It is where we receive visitors and sit as a family to talk or watch cartoons. It usually has chairs, a center table, and sometimes a television. We must keep it tidy so our guests feel happy when they visit.
• The Bedroom: This is the "Resting Room." We go here to sleep at night or take a nap in the afternoon. Sleep helps our brains and bodies grow! We keep our clothes in wardrobes or boxes here.
• The Kitchen: This is the "Cooking Room." This is where Mummy or Daddy prepares our delicious food. It has a stove, pots, and a fridge. Because there is fire and sharp knives in the kitchen, children must be very careful and always stay with an adult.
• The Bathroom and Toilet: This is the "Cleaning Room." We wash our bodies here to stay fresh and use the toilet to get rid of waste. This room must be kept very dry and clean so that germs do not grow there.

The Home Surrounding

The surrounding is the area just outside the walls of your house. It is the space within your compound or fence. It includes:

1. The Compound: The open floor where we play and run.
2. The Garden: A place where flowers grow or where we plant vegetables like Ugu (fluted pumpkin) or tomatoes.
3. The Drainage (Gutters): These are the paths that carry water away when it rains.
4. The Backyard: The space behind the house where we might hang clothes to dry.

Why Must We Keep the Surrounding Clean?

In Nigeria, it is very important to keep our surroundings tidy to stay healthy.

• No Stagnant Water: If we leave empty cans or tires outside, they collect rainwater. Mosquitoes love to live in this water. If mosquitoes bite us, we can get Malaria.
• No Tall Grass: If the grass in our compound grows too tall, dangerous animals like snakes or scorpions might hide there.
• No Litter: If we throw biscuit wrappers or banana peels on the ground, they attract flies and rats, which can make our tummies hurt.

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2. Real-World Examples (Scenarios)

• Scenario A: The Unexpected Guest: Imagine your teacher comes to visit your house. If the Living Room is full of toys on the floor, the teacher might trip and fall. But if the room is tidy, the teacher can sit comfortably and enjoy a glass of water.
• Scenario B: The Rainy Day: After a big rainstorm, Tunde notices a plastic cup in the compound filled with water. He knows that mosquitoes like still water, so he pours the water out and puts the cup in the dustbin. Tunde is a Health Hero!
• Scenario C: The Kitchen Safety: Chidinma wants to help in the kitchen. Instead of touching the stove, she helps by carrying the plastic plates to the dining table. She knows the kitchen is a place for work but also a place to be careful.

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3. Practical Applications: How to Clean

Keeping the home clean is a job for everyone, even children! Here is how we use our tools:

Step-by-Step: How to Sweep the Floor

1. Get your tool: Pick up a small broom (the short Nigerian broom or a small brush).
2. Start from the corners: Move the broom from the corners of the room toward the center.
3. Gather the dust: Sweep all the sand and dirt into one small pile.
4. Use a dustpan: Use a dustpan to pick up the pile and walk carefully to the dustbin to drop it in.
5. Wash your hands: Always wash your hands with soap after cleaning!

Step-by-Step: Tidying the Bedroom

1. Arrange the pillows: Put your pillow at the top of the bed.
2. Smooth the sheets: Pull the bedsheet so it is flat and neat.
3. Pick up clothes: Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket and fold clean ones into your drawer.

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4. Suggested Home Projects (Project-Based Learning)

Project 1: "My Mini-Home Model"

Objective: To identify rooms and their uses.

• Materials: An empty shoe box, cardboard scraps, glue, scissors (with help), and old magazine pictures.
• Procedure:
  1. Divide the shoe box into four squares using cardboard.
  2. Label them: Kitchen, Bedroom, Sitting Room, Bathroom.
  3. Glue pictures of a bed in the bedroom and a pot in the kitchen.
  4. Presentation: Show your family your model and tell them one rule for each room (e.g., "No shouting in the bedroom").

Project 2: "The Germ-Free Garden"

Objective: To understand environmental care.

• Materials: A small plastic pot or a recycled container, soil, and a few beans or seeds.
• Procedure:
  1. Fill the container with soil.
  2. Plant your seeds and water them.
  3. Place it in a clean part of your surrounding where there is sun.
  4. Observation: Every day, check if there is any trash near your plant. Pick it up so your plant can grow in a clean home!

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5. Life Skills Integration

• Responsibility: By learning to keep your room tidy, you are learning to take care of your things. This makes you a reliable person.
• Health and Hygiene: Understanding that dirt brings germs helps you stay strong and avoid going to the hospital.
• Organization: "A place for everything and everything in its place." This skill helps you find your school shoes quickly in the morning so you are not late for school!
• Safety Awareness: Recognizing that a wet bathroom floor or a blocked gutter is "danger" helps you protect yourself and your younger siblings.

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6. Student Reflection & Assessment

Think and Answer (Oral or Drawing):

1. The "Which Room?" Game: If I want to take a bath, which room do I go to? If I want to help Mummy fry eggs, which room am I in?
2. The Tool Match: (Point to a picture of a rake). Do we use this to clean the kitchen or the compound? Why?
3. Reflection Question: How do you feel when your bedroom is clean and smells nice? How do you feel when it is messy?
4. Practical Task: Show your teacher or parent the "Superhero Pose" and then demonstrate how you can pick up five pieces of paper from the floor and put them in the bin.

Remember: A clean home is a happy home, and a tidy surrounding keeps the doctor away!