Cornerstones of life
Reena Kurien
Home science was about mastering household skills when it originated, but now it is being recognized as an important area of education at all levels for both boys and girls. In India, the home is identified with the woman of the house, hence she takes up the responsibility of all house-hold chores. The recent experience of the lock-down heightened the importance of knowing how to manage one’s home, food, laundry and other areas of everyday life, regardless of gender.
The spectrum of topics covered in this field of education is very wide. Online classes have forced schools to introduce practical oriented assignments. A few that students of classes 9 and 10 did are discussed here under the different topics.
Food and Nutrition
A simple exercise of planning a day’s meal based on the principles of meal planning, helps a child understand the food groups, their nutrient contribution and daily requirement in terms of quality and quantity. The different methods of cooking which include basic cookery skills and the techniques of preserving foods are also covered. Planning, preparation and presentation are given importance in depth.
Medicinal value of herbs known to earlier civilizations is being rediscovered and confirmed by modern scientific tests. Rich in minerals and vitamins, they can be used to enhance the flavour and as garnish.
Textiles and clothing
This covers a detailed study of the steps involved in the manufacture of fabrics, selection of clothes depending on purpose and weather, and laundering. The different types of weaves are explained using strips of coloured paper to represent the warp and the weft. Laundering (includes washing, finishing techniques like ironing, pressing etc and folding) a soiled shirt is an interesting activity.
Money management
The most common planning device for the use of money is the budget. Budgeting helps a household spend money intelligently balancing the present and future wants, making suitable allocations for spending and saving. It enables a family ‘to live a good balanced life within its income’.
When budget plans are made for different income groups, and the percentage of each item of expenditure calculated, a striking pattern is noticed. As income increases, the percentage spent on food decreases, but the amount spent increases. The percentage spent on housing and clothing remains the same but on sundries, education and savings increases. This is called Éngel’s Law of money management. At school level, students are taught about the functions of banks, opening and operating bank accounts.
Planning a house and interior decoration
Drawing a floor plan was one of the projects assigned. Trying to incorporate the different principles of planning was a challenge. The various rooms in a house, their orientation, continuity, ventilation, placement and orientation of doors and windows, organization of work centers in the kitchen and so on. Interior decoration includes both furnishing and the choice of colours. Basic knowledge of the art principles, the different colour schemes derived from the chart and the dimensions help the students make the right selection.
Milestones of development
The role of the different phases of development in children to teens to young adults is discussed in this chapter. The main areas include physical, motor, social, emotional, cognitive and language skills. These skills are developed at different ages. The better the development, the more in harmony is the child with understanding of boundaries, emotions, and social skills. According to child psychologist Elizabeth Hurlock – Development consists of a progressive series of changes of an orderly, coherent type towards the goal of maturity.’ The characteristics and concerns of all the stages of life, and the role of family, friends and school are discussed.
Consumer education
Home makers must be aware of consumer rights and duties since they are exposed to exploitation due to unfair trade practices. Many businesses employ different methods of marketing that attract their customers. Fake branding, “free gifts” and offers, incorrect or incomplete mention of sourced products are some of the malpractices that a consumer needs to be aware of. This will help them overcome the problems they face. Consumer aids are tools that guide consumers in selecting and buying a product that has been verified based on fair trade values. One such tool is standardization marks – FSSAI, AGMARK, FPO, BIS hallmark, ISI, and so on.
Home science doesn’t qualify as a serious subject with regard to school curriculum, but the impact of the principles learnt in one’s everyday life is immense. From meal planning and nutrition to budgeting, these basic life skills empower an individual and bring balance to their understanding of the world they live in and interact with. Every year of teaching has brought great satisfaction and the children enjoy the practical applications of the subject – after all, this is one subject where they can bake their cake and eat it too!
The author is a home science teacher at Vidyaranya High School for the past 40 years. She can be reached at kurienreena247@gmail.com.
