Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - KG 1

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Introduction:
• This lesson focuses on the fundamental practices of personal hygiene, specifically handwashing and brushing teeth. In our Ghanaian communities, where we often eat with our hands and play outside in the soil, understanding *how* and *why* to keep clean is a vital life skill. It helps prevent common sicknesses like running stomach (diarrhoea) and coughs, ensuring our young learners stay healthy, happy, and ready to learn. This lesson uses practical demonstrations, songs, and games to make learning about hygiene fun and memorable.
• Learning Objectives:
• By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:
• Identify at least two items used for personal hygiene (e.g., soap, toothbrush).

Lesson summary

This lesson focuses on the fundamental practices of personal hygiene, specifically handwashing and brushing teeth. In our Ghanaian communities, where we often eat with our hands and play outside in the soil, understanding *how* and *why* to keep clean is a vital life skill. It helps prevent common sicknesses like running stomach (diarrhoea) and coughs, ensuring our young learners stay healthy, happy, and ready to learn. This lesson uses practical demonstrations, songs, and games to make learning about hygiene fun and memorable.

Lesson notes

This lesson introduces two main hygiene practices. The key is to use simple language and connect the actions to the learners' well-being.

Concept 1: What are Germs? (The "Invisible Afi") Explanation: "On our hands and in our mouths, there are tiny, tiny things we cannot see with our eyes. Some of them are like bad guys, and we call them germs (or 'afi' in Twi, meaning dirt). These germs can get inside our bodies when we eat or touch our mouths, and they can make us sick. They can give us a tummy ache, a cough, or a fever. But we have special powers to fight them!"

Concept 2: The Power of Handwashing Why we wash hands: "Washing our hands with soap and water is our superpower to chase the germs away! We must always wash our hands:" Before eating: Especially before eating our kenkey, fufu, or banku. After using the toilet: This is very important to wash away the germs. After playing outside: When we play 'ampe' or with sand, the 'afi' gets on our hands. After coughing or sneezing: To stop the germs from spreading to our friends. How to wash hands (The 5 Steps): We will learn this through a song and actions. WET: Turn on the tap and wet your hands. SOAP: Take soap and make plenty of bubbles. SCRUB: Rub your hands together for 20 seconds. We will sing the "Happy Birthday" song two times. Make sure to scrub: The palms (inside of your hands). The back of your hands. In-between your fingers. Your fingertips and under your nails. RINSE: Wash all the soap and bubbles away under clean running water. DRY: Dry your hands with a clean towel or shake them in the air until they are dry.

Concept 3: The Power of Brushing Teeth Why we brush our teeth: "After we eat sweet things like FanYogo or biscuits, tiny 'sugar bugs' (germs) can stay on our teeth. They can make small holes in our teeth, which can cause pain (toothache). Brushing our teeth twice a day—in the morning and before bed—chases these sugar bugs away, keeps our teeth strong and white, and gives us a fresh, happy smile." How to brush our teeth: TOOTHPASTE: Put a small amount of toothpaste (the size of a groundnut) on your toothbrush. BRUSH: Brush the outside of your teeth in small circles. Brush the inside of your teeth. Brush the chewing part on top. Don't forget to gently brush your tongue! RINSE: Spit out the toothpaste and rinse your mouth with a little water.