Grade 4 Home Science Healthy Practices – Fuels Used At Home Notes

Home Science — Healthy Practices

Subtopic: Fuels Used At Home (for children aged 9, Kenya)

Fuels are things we use to cook, light our home or keep warm. In Kenya you may see:

• 🔥 Firewood (kuni / jiko la kuni)
• 🌑 Charcoal (mkaa / jiko la mkaa)
• 🛢️ Kerosene / paraffin (for lamps and stoves)
• 🧯 LPG (cooking gas)
• ⚡ Electricity (electric cookers, hotplates)
• 💨 Biogas (from animal waste)
• ☀️ Solar cookers (the sun to cook)

Why smoke is dangerous

• Smoke can make eyes sting and cough. 😢
• Small children and babies can get lung infections (pneumonia) from smoky houses.
• Some fuels can cause poisoning if stored badly or if they leak (e.g., kerosene, LPG).

Healthy practices and safety tips

1. Use cleaner fuels when you can: LPG, electricity, biogas or solar are cleaner than wood and charcoal.
2. Cook outside or in a well-ventilated kitchen: open windows and use a chimney or hood (jiko with a vent) so smoke leaves the house.
3. Keep children away from the stove: set a safe play area at least 2 metres away.
4. Use improved jikos (efficient stoves): they use less wood or charcoal and give less smoke.
5. Store fuels safely: keep kerosene in a labelled, closed container high up; keep LPG cylinders upright and outside when possible.
6. Do not burn rubbish indoors: plastics and other waste make very bad smoke.
7. Check for LPG leaks: if you smell gas (rotten egg smell added to LPG), turn off, open windows, do not switch on lights, leave the house and call for help.
8. Be careful with open flames: teach everyone not to run near cooking fires and to use pot lids and oven gloves.

What to do in an emergency

• Smoke inhalation: move the person to fresh air, sit them upright, loosening tight clothes. If they find it hard to breathe, call for help.
• Burns: cool the burn with running clean water for 10–20 minutes. Do not put butter or oil on burns. Cover with a clean cloth and get medical help.
• Gas leak (LPG): turn off cylinder valve if safe, open doors and windows, go outside, call the gas supplier or emergency services.
• Emergency numbers in Kenya: 999 or 112 for ambulance/police/fire. Also call your local health clinic.

Short quiz (try answering)

1. Which fuel makes the least smoke: firewood, charcoal, or LPG?
2. Name one thing you should do if someone breathes in a lot of smoke.
3. Why should rubbish not be burned inside the house?

(Answers: LPG; move to fresh air and get help; it makes dangerous smoke and poisons the air.)

Remember: a clean, well-ventilated kitchen and safe fuel storage keep families healthy. Talk to an adult at home about safer stoves and fuels.