Specific Objective
By the end of this topic, I should be able to:
- Define Homescience.
- Relate Homescience to various career opportunities
Definition of Home Science
Home Science is integrated science that deals with the imparting of knowledge and skills like cooking, sewing and home care. Home Science knowledge and skills can enable one to be self-reliant and have the right attitude to face life's challenges. Home Science can improve the quality of life for an individual, the family, the community and the nation. Home Science can help improve the application of good health and hygiene principles. It also puts an emphasis on the efficient use of resources such as time, energy and money.
Importance of Home Science
Five importance of Home Science to the individual
- It imparts knowledge and skills to improve one's quality of life. For example, in health education, knowledge in personal hygiene helps one prevent many diseases and also to live in a clean environment.
- It helps the individual to adapt to the environment and to social- economic changes in life.
- It helps the individual acquire skills for income generation.
- It improves the individual's personal hygiene.
- It introduces the individual to interesting and lucrative careers such as in the tourism and hotel industry, catering and dietetics, health, education and training institutions, etc.
Five importance of Home Science to the family
- It promotes healthy living through knowledge of proper nutritional requirements necessary for the preparation of balanced meals. It can also promote healthy living by preventing dietary related diseases such malnutrition, obesity, diabetes and heart diseases.
- It helps in the proper utilisation of household income through improved budgeting skills.
- It enhances household and environmental hygiene through application of home management skills.
- It helps in preventing accidents at home by practising home safety skills.
- It can help save lives as a result of knowing and promptly administering First Aid.
Three importance of Home Science to the community
- Home Science helps the community by providing knowledge on issues such as good nutrition, to keep its members healthy.
- Home scientists help educate the community on issues such as consumer education to be able to handle the resources adequately.
- Fashion designers help create employment and also create a sense of awareness on current fashion trends.
Main areas covered in Home Science
- Foods and Nutrition
- This area deals with the nutritive value of foods, food preparation, cooking and service.
- It shows the importance of a balanced diet in an individual and how the lack of it leads to malnourishment.
- Clothing and Textiles
- It deals with the textile fibres, their desirable and undesirable properties.
- It expounds on tools and equipment used in clothing construction.
- It imparts knowledge and skills on the making of clothes, the various stitches used, household articles and how to maintain and repair worn out articles.
- It also educates on pattern drafting skills.
- Imparts knowledge and skills on choosing ready made clothes.
- Home management
- Covers care of the home, environmental hygiene, safety and first aid in the home.
- It also deals with the various ways of providing family shelter, ventilator and fuel in the home.
- Consumer education
This covers consumer issues.- The consumers are made aware of their rights and how to make right choices on goods available in the market.
- It concentrates on creating awareness in the consumer regarding areas like:
- Making a budget.
- Advertisement.
- Problems a consumer faces today.
- Consumer protection.
- Childcare and Health education
- Childcare deals with safe parenthood.
- Health education deals with the following:
- Personal hygiene.
- Environmental hygiene.
- Care-giving to the sick at home.
Career opportunities in Home Science
- Admission to the university to study Home science courses in any of the following areas:
- Clothing and textiles.
- Design.
- Dietetics.
- Consumer studies.
- Catering and hotel management.
- Self employment - one can start income generating establishments such as:
- Tourism and hotel industry.
- Cake baking.
- Clothes making.
- Schools for training in beauty, hairdressing, cloth making, cake making and cake decoration.
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