"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."
"Home is where the heart is."
These popular expressions indicate that home is a place where people love you. A place where we're all special, all-important, and all cared about. The home provides security, control, belonging, identity, and privacy, among other things. But most of all, it's a place that provides us with a centering - a place from which we leave each morning and to which we return each evening.
No matter what place you call home, the very word strikes a chord deep inside each of us. Home means sanctuary, the place we can rest, relax, enjoy time with friends, learn, grow...and just be. Our homes say a lot about who we are and what we think is important in life.
A house is where the family lives. All of us need to live in a house. It keeps us safe. It protects us from heat and rain. It keeps us warm during the cold winter. It protects us from wild and dangerous animals.
Activity #1
Think for a moment of your home. If you were to describe it in a word or two, what would it be? Peaceful and calm? Orderly? Disorganized and chaotic? Messy? Open and welcoming? How would you compare the way you describe your home to the life you lead?
There are many types of houses people from all over the world sleep in every night. Some live in big, tall modern houses. Others sleep in a home with wheels under it. Let's look at different types of houses.
Cottage
This is a small old-fashioned house often found in the countryside. It is often made of stone or brick with a straw or thatched roof.
Stilt house
This is a house raised on stilts over the surface of the soil or a body of water. It protects against flooding.
Igloo
It is an Eskimo house, being a dome-shaped hut usually built of blocks of hard snow.
Farmhouse
A farmhouse is what it sounds like. A house on a farm. It is a one-story low built house that is traditionally built far away from the city, on large areas of land used for farming or raising animals.
Hut
A hut is a very simple one story house, often built with cheap materials or natural materials like mud.
Teepee
A teepee is a conical tent of the American Indians, made usually from animal skins and long wooden poles with an opening at the top for ventilation and a flap door.
Bungalow
It is a single-storied house with a sloping roof, usually small and often surrounded by a veranda.
Apartment
It is a building containing multiple dwelling units with a common entrance and services.
Castle
A castle is a large and often old building. Hundreds of years ago, many kings and queens would live in castles. These are made with thick stone walls to protect the people living there.
Mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house.
Tent
A temporary shelter made from fabric. Most people use tents when they go camping and need to quickly set up a place to sleep that will protect them from the rain, wind, and animals overnight.
Treehouse
A treehouse is a structure built between the branches of a large tree. They are often seen as places for children to play. But there are hotels around the world where you can sleep in a treehouse hotel room above the ground. Some old tribes also live in treehouses.
Caravan or camper
A caravan or camper is a vehicle, which can be pulled behind a car or truck, which is made for living in. A caravan is also commonly called a trailer. It is often used for short term stay, for example, when going on a holiday.
Log Cabin
These buildings are small structures found in the forests or woods. They're made almost completely out of wood, or large logs.
Let's cover the main rooms of a house as well as the names of some common household objects.
Not all houses have the same amount of rooms, some may have big gardens, others may have a playroom and a study room, and others can have a garden and a patio. Let's check out some of the most common parts of the house.
1. The chimney is a structure to send out smoke and gases from the fireplace to the outside.
2. The roof is the top surface of the building. It keeps out rain and snow and protects people from the sun.
3. The window is an opening in the wall to let in light and air.
4. A door allows people to enter and exit from the house or any room.
There are different rooms in a home.
Where do we sleep?
We sleep on the bed which is kept in our bedroom. Bed + room = Bedroom.
This is how a bedroom looks.
Where do we take a bath?
We take a bath in a bathroom. It also has a toilet to get rid of our body waste.
This is how a bathroom looks.
Where do we watch TV, sit with guests to chat, or perform other social activities?
In the living room. This is how a living room looks.
Where do we eat dinner?
We eat dinner in the dining room.
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Where do we cook our food?
In the kitchen. The room in which food is prepared and cooking is done is called a kitchen.
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Where do we see the grass?
In garden. It is an area around the house planted with grass, flowers, or other plants.
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Let's do some simple, fun activities.
Activity #2
A few household items are listed below. Look around your house and tell in which room are these found.
1. Bed
2. Refrigerator
3. Television
4. Sofa
5. Juicer
6. Spoons
7. Clothes
8. Dining Table
Do your answers look like?
1. Bedroom
2. Kitchen
3. Living room
4. Living room
5. Kitchen
6. Kitchen
7. Bedroom
8. Dining room
Don't worry if some of your answers are different. Each house has a different way of keeping things, for example, some people keep a television in the bedroom while usually, you'll find it in the living room in most houses.
Activity #3
Here is another small activity that you can do at your home. On a piece of paper, make five rows and two columns like below. Name the different rooms like done on the left side column. On the right side, write down the things that you see in each room. Go around your house and make a list of items that you see in each of the rooms. A few are done as examples for you.
| Bedroom | bed, study table...... |
| Living room | television, carpet....... |
| Kitchen | microwave, refrigerator........ |
| Bathroom | tap, toilet bowl....... |
| Garden | flowers, grass..... |
