CLASS NOTE: TOILET HYGIENE – BECOMING A HYGIENE HERO!
Subject: Home Economics
Class: Nursery Three (Ages 4–5)
Topic: Toilet Hygiene
Theme: Health and Personal Cleanliness
1. COMPREHENSIVE CORE CONCEPTS
What is Toilet Hygiene?
Toilet hygiene is the special way we take care of ourselves and the bathroom to stay clean and healthy. Imagine your body is like a beautiful garden. To keep a garden healthy, we must remove the weeds. In our bodies, "weeds" are like the waste (poo and pee) that we leave in the toilet. If we don’t clean up properly, tiny, invisible "Germ Monsters" named Gaga and Gogo start to grow.
These Germ Monsters are so small you cannot see them with your eyes, but they are very naughty! They love to hide on dirty toilet seats, door handles, and even on your hands. If they get into your tummy, they can make you feel very sick with a stomach ache, vomiting, or a running stomach (diarrhea). Being a Hygiene Hero means using your "superpowers" of cleaning to keep these monsters away!
Types of Toilets in Our Community
In Nigeria, we use different types of toilets depending on where we are. A Hygiene Hero knows how to use all of them:
- The Water Closet (WC): This is a sitting toilet. It has a seat and a tank of water. When you finish, you press a handle or button to "flush" the waste away into the pipes.
- The Squat Toilet: This is a toilet on the floor. Instead of sitting, you place your feet on the side pads and squat down.
- The Pit Latrine: This is often found in some gardens or older houses. It is a deep hole in the ground with a cover. It doesn't use a flush, so we must use a lid to keep flies away.
Why is it Important?
When we practice good toilet hygiene, we protect ourselves and our friends. Diseases like Cholera and Typhoid are spread when people are not careful with how they use the toilet. By flushing, wiping correctly, and washing our hands, we break the "Sickness Chain" and keep our school and home safe.
2. STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: HOW TO BE A HYGIENE HERO
Using the toilet is a big-kid responsibility! Follow these steps every single time:
Step 1: The Privacy Rule
Always knock on the door first. If no one answers, go in and close the door. We use the toilet in private because it is a respectful thing to do for our bodies.
Step 2: The Right Position
- If sitting: Pull your trousers or skirt and underwear down to your knees and sit comfortably.
- If squatting: Aim carefully into the hole so you don't make the floor messy.
Step 3: The Cleaning Mission
This is the most important part!
- Using Toilet Paper: Take a small amount of tissue. Important for Girls: Always wipe from the front to the back. This keeps the germs from the "poo-poo" place away from the "pee-pee" place.
- Using Water (The 'Buta' or Bidet): Many Nigerian homes use water to wash. Use your left hand and clean water to wash until you feel fresh. Remember to dry yourself with a little tissue afterward.
Step 4: The Great Flush
Watch the waste disappear! If you use a WC, press the button. If you use a pit latrine, put the cover back on the hole. This stops flies from touching the waste and then flying onto your food.
Step 5: The Final Check
A Hero never leaves a mess. Look at the seat and the floor. If there is a splash, use a little tissue to wipe it up so the next person finds a clean toilet.
3. THE MAGIC OF HANDWASHING (THE 6 STEPS)
Even if your hands look clean, Gaga and Gogo might be hiding there! You must wash them using these six magic steps:
- Wet: Turn on the tap and get your hands wet.
- Soap: Get enough soap to make lots of white bubbles (lather).
- Rub: Rub your palms together.
- Scrub: Clean the back of your hands, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.
- Rinse: Use clean running water to wash all the bubbles and germs away.
- Dry: Shake your hands like a bird or use a clean towel to dry them.
Hero Tip: Scrub for as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" two times!
4. REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES & SCENARIOS
- Scenario A: The School Toilet. You enter the school toilet and see that someone forgot to flush. A Hygiene Hero doesn't complain; they use their power! Flush the toilet first, then use it, and flush again when finished.
- Scenario B: Visiting Grandma. Grandma has a pit latrine. You remember to bring your own tissue or water and, most importantly, you put the heavy lid back on the hole when you are done to keep the house smelling fresh.
- Scenario C: The Public Park. You are at a park and need to pee. There is no soap at the sink. You wash with plenty of water for now, but you tell Mommy or Daddy immediately so they can give you a hand sanitizer or help you find soap.
5. PROJECT-BASED LEARNING: "MY MINI-TOILET MODEL"
Goal: Create a 3D model to show you understand how a clean toilet looks.
Materials Needed:
- 1 empty biscuit or cereal box.
- 1 plastic bottle cap (any color).
- White paper and glue.
- Crayons.
Instructions:
- Wrap your box in white paper. This is the toilet base.
- Draw a circle on top of the box to show the "seat."
- Glue the bottle cap on the side. This is your "Flush Power Button."
- On a small piece of paper, draw a picture of a hand and a bar of soap. Glue this next to your toilet model.
- Show your model to the class and say: "I am a Hygiene Hero! I flush and I wash!"
6. LIFE SKILLS & CAREER CONNECTION
Life Skills:
- Self-Care: Learning to clean yourself makes you independent and confident.
- Responsibility: Keeping the toilet clean shows you care about your family and friends.
- Health Awareness: Knowing about germs helps you stay strong and avoid missing school due to sickness.
Career Connection:
People who study hygiene are very important!
- Doctors and Nurses use these same handwashing steps to keep patients safe.
- Environmental Health Officers (sometimes called "Wole-Wole" in Nigeria) visit houses and schools to make sure toilets are clean and safe for everyone.
7. HOME PRACTICE ACTIVITIES (For Parents & Students)
- The "Hygiene Inspector" Game: Tape a piece of paper behind the bathroom door. Every time the student flushes and washes their hands correctly, give them a "Gold Star" or a checkmark. After 10 stars, the Hero gets to choose the Sunday dessert!
- The Pepper Experiment:
- Materials: A bowl of water, black pepper, and liquid soap.
- Steps: Shake pepper (the germs) onto the water. Put a dry finger in—the pepper sticks to you! Now, put soap on your finger and touch the water. The pepper will "run away" to the sides. This shows how soap scares germs away!
8. STUDENT REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How do you feel when you enter a toilet that is very clean and smells good?
- Why do we wipe from front to back?
- What song will you sing while scrubbing your hands today?
- If you see a fly in the toilet, what does that tell you about the lid?
- Who can you teach the "Six Steps of Handwashing" to at home?
DOXCOV ACADEMY