Introduction To Home Economics

Home Economics entails a lot of things. Its main concern is the welfare of individuals and families. Before the missionaries arrived Nigeria, there were no formal schools. At that time young girls learnt homemaking skills from their mothers, aunts or other older women in the family. Boys also learnt trades, crafts and farming from their fathers, uncles and older men in the family. In these ways the young ones were taught by their parents. Learning was mainly through observation, imitation and practice. When the missionaries came they built schools and taught people how to read and write. As the number of girls increased a special centre was created and the course was introduced as Domestic Science due to the fact that the subject is more versatile than cooking, sewing and housecraft. The name was changed to Home Economics. Home Economics is a very important subject in schools today. It is taught at the primary, junior and senior school levels.

DEFINITION OF HOME ECONOMICS

Home Economics can be explained in different ways. It is a field that is concerned with improving family life.  It does this by:

1. Preparing people for family living.
2. Finding out the needs of individuals and families
3. Finding ways of meeting these needs.
4. Improving the goods and services which the families use e.g. food, clothing, housing, etc.

Home Economicsis also defined as a means of careful management of human and material resources for individual, family and community development.

EVALUATION

1. Define Home Economics

2. Give a brief history of how Home economics came into existence.

Major Areas in Home Economics

Home Economics is made up of many areas. These areas can be grouped into 7 major areas. Each area can be further broken down into sub-areas. All these areas are interrelated.

1. Food and Nutrition: It deals with the study of foods and their nutrients.

2. Clothing and Textiles: It deals with textiles designing and sewing of       clothes. It includes wise selection of clothes, personal hygiene and good grooming.

3. Home Management: It deals with the process of using those things which the family has, to obtain the things needed by the family.

4. Consumer Education: It teaches people how to make wise decisions when selecting or buying goods and services.

5. Housing and Interior Decoration: It deals with provision of housing for the family. It also involves planning available space in the house, selection and arrangement of pieces of furniture and other decorative pieces in the house.

6. Child Development and Care: It deals with how children grow and develop. It deals with how to care for children properly.

7. Family Living: It deals with how people live in the family. It teaches people how to maintain good relationship in the family.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOME ECONOMICS AND OTHER FIELD OF STUDY

Home Economics draws its knowledge from other field of studies such as:

1. Chemistry: It teaches us about food nutrients, their properties and the effect of heat on them.

2. Biology: It teaches us about plants and animals, parts of human body and how they function.

3. Physics: It teaches us about electricity and how the electrical appliances in the home functions.

4. Economics: It enables us to know how to use and manage our human and material resources.

5. Mathematics: It teaches us about measurements and calculations which are important in Home-Economics especially in food preparation.

6. Agricultural Science: It helps to know about food production and preservation which are necessary for good health.

GENERAL EVALUATION

1. State three major areas in Home Economics.
2. Define Home Economics.
3. Give a brief history of how Home Economics came into existence.
4. Mention five subjects Home Economics drew knowledge from.
5. Home Economics was previously called?

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. The following are major areas in Home economics except (a) food and nutrition (b) clothing and textile (c) consumer education (d) agricultural science.
2. Home Economics is the study of (a) how we gossip at home (b) how we relate to others (c) how we take care of the home (d) culture
3. ——- areas in Home Economics educates the masses on wise selection of products and food stuffs in the market (a) Interior decoration (b) consumer education (c) food and nutrition (d) child development and care
4. ——- involves in the provision of housing for all (a) clothing and textiles (b) housing and interior decoration (c) consumer education (d) outdoor catering
5. —— was previously known as domestic science (a) agricultural science (b) Mathematics (c) Home economics (d) Basic technology.

THEORY

1. Give a brief history of how Home Economics came into existence.
2. Mention five major areas in Home Economics and explain them.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Read Introduction to Home Economics from Home Economics for Junior Secondary Schools (book1-3) by Elizabeth U. Anyakoha, Pages 1-6.