The surprising, often fiercely feminist, always fascinating, yet barely known, history of home economics. The term “home economics” may conjure traumatic memories of lopsided hand-sewn pillows or sunken muffins. But common conception obscures the story of the revolutionary science of better living. The field exploded opportunities for women in the twentieth century by reducing domestic work and providing jobs as professors, engineers, chemists, and businesspeople. And it has something to teach us today. In the surprising, often fiercely feminist and always fascinating The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger traces the field’s history from Black colleges to Eleanor Roosevelt to Okinawa, from a Betty Crocker brigade to DIY techies. These women—and they were mostly women—became chemists and marketers, studied nutrition, health, and exercise, tested parachutes, created astronaut food, and took bold steps in childhood development and education. Home economics followed the currents of American culture even as it shaped them. Dreilinger brings forward the racism within the movement along with the strides taken by women of color who were influential leaders and innovators. She also looks at the personal lives of home economics’ women, as they chose to be single, share lives with other women, or try for egalitarian marriages. This groundbreaking and engaging history restores a denigrated subject to its rightful importance, as it reminds us that everyone should learn how to cook a meal, balance their account, and fight for a better world.

Zest for Life contains everything you need to meet the objectives of the new Specifi cation for Junior Cycle Home Economics. Three interconnected contextual strands put the emphasis on being healthy, sustainable and making good choices. Integrated approach to topics as recommended in the Specification Assessment for Learning (AfL) approach guides the learning as recommended in the Junior Cycle Framework Learning Outcomes listed at the start of each chapter for ease of planning Learning intentions in the 'What I Will Learn' section break down the Learning Outcomes for the student Key Words to understanding the concept of the chapter/topic are given at the start Revision Toolkit provides hints, tips and mnemonics to help students be exam ready Definitions of various key terms are given throughout each chapter Links to other parts of the course, curriculum and to the Classroom-Based Assessments fully integrate learning Revision Questions consolidate comprehension of the topic Chapter on preparing for Food Literacy Skills Brief and Practical Food Skills Exam Bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter aid revision Discovery Learning activities throughout give ideas for students' active learning Further Investigation sections provide references for students to websites of interest 'Don't Forget!' clouds encourage the key skills Links to Teacher's Resource Book provide integrated extra activities THE ZEST FOR LIFE PACKAGE INCLUDES: Zest for Life Skills Book - Included Free with the textbook: Includes skill-based activities, exercises that reinforce content, and Learning Checklists to promote self-evaluation and help focus revision Zest for Life Teacher's Resource Book: With detailed schemes of work and topic-by-topic suggestions for enlivening the Home Economics classroom A suite of digital resources including curriculum-focused videos, PowerPoints and quizzes, which are all available on GillExplore.ie Free eBook of the textbook with embedded videos, weblinks and quizzes. See inside front cover for details. Adopting teachers also get access to free eBooks of the Skills Book and Teacher's Resource Book. Gill Education eBooks are accessible both online and offline. THE ZEST FOR LIFE AUTHOR TEAM ÚNA SHELLY teaches in Grange Post-Primary School in County Sligo, and is the author of Leaving Certificate textbook Modern Home Economics. She has over 30 years' experience and has examined at both Junior and Leaving Certificate level. She is also a local facilitator with the PDST. CONSULTANT EDITOR MARGARET P. KINSELLA teaches in Bunclody Vocational College in Wexford, and is co-author of Leaving Certificate textbook, Living Today. She was a member of the Junior Cycle Home Economics Development Committee that drafted the new Specification.

This text, the second of two, covers the syllabus for the Junior Certificate Examination in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, and similiar examinations in the region. The book is also approved for Zambian syllabuses.

Through home sewing, Sarah A. Gordon examines domestic labor, marketing practices, changing standards of femininity, and understandings of class, gender, and race from 1890 to 1930. As ready-made garments became increasingly available due to industrialization, many women, out of necessity or choice, continued to make their own clothing. In doing so, women used a customary female skill both as a means of supporting traditional ideas and as a tool of personal agency. The shifting meanings of sewing formed a contested space in which businesses promoted sewing machines as tools for maintaining domestic harmony, women interpreted patterns to suit-or flout-definitions of appropriate appearances, and girls were taught to sew in ways that reflected beliefs about class, race, and region. Unlike studies of clothing that focus on changes in fashion, "Make it Yourself" looks at the social and cultural processes surrounding home production. Gordon examines sewing clothing as work, whether resented or enjoyed, and the function of that work for families and individuals from a range of backgrounds. Another unique element is Gordon's use of an unusually wide variety of source materials, from diaries, photographs, and government pamphlets to tissue paper patterns, dresses, sewing workbooks, and paper dolls. This "hands on" approach, combined with an accessible writing style, connects the reader to the women and girls who are at the heart of her study. Altogether, "Make it Yourself" provides a new perspective on a widespread yet often neglected form of women's work.