Time

Jambo, Mwanafunzi Mwerevu! Let's Master Time Together!

Have you ever waited for your favourite meal, maybe some delicious chapati or ugali, and wondered, "How much longer?" Or have you noticed how the sun wakes up in the morning and goes to sleep at night, just like we do? That, my friend, is all about TIME! Time helps us know when to wake up, when to go to school, when to play, and when to listen to stories from our grandparents (shosho and guka). Let's become time experts today!

Our Friend, The Clock Face

A clock is a special tool that helps us see time. It has a face with numbers and two very important hands.

• The Short Hand (The Hour Hand): This is the slow, careful hand. It points to the hour. Think of it as a tortoise, moving slowly but surely.
• The Long Hand (The Minute Hand): This is the faster hand. It moves all around the clock in one hour. Think of it as a speedy hare, racing around!

   ---
 /     \
| 12    |
|       |
|9   3 o| <-- The little 'o' is where the hands connect!
|       |
|   6   |
 \     /
   ---

Telling Time: "O'clock"

When the long minute hand points straight up to the number 12, we say it is "o'clock". It's like the minute hand is standing tall and shouting, "It's a new hour!" To know which hour it is, we just look at where the short hour hand is pointing.

Example: It's time for the school parade! The long minute hand is on 12, and the short hour hand is on 8. That means it is 8 o'clock! Time to line up!

   ---
 /  |  \
| 12    |  <-- Long hand points to 12
|   |   |
|9 -o- 3|  <-- Short hand points to 9
|       |
|   6   |      This clock shows 9 o'clock.
 \     /       Maybe it's time for your first lesson!
   ---

Image Suggestion: A vibrant, colourful illustration of Kenyan children in their school uniforms (e.g., green and white) lining up for a morning parade. In the background, a large, clear clock on the school building shows exactly 8 o'clock. The sun is shining brightly.

Telling Time: "Half Past"

What happens when the long minute hand has travelled halfway around the clock? It points down to the number 6. When this happens, we say it is "half past" the hour. Think of it like sharing a chapati perfectly in half! The minute hand has gone through half of the hour.

Example: It's break time! You run out to play. You look at the clock. The short hour hand has moved a little past 10, and the long minute hand is pointing to 6. It is half past 10.

   ---
 /     \
| 12    |
|       |
|9   o--|--> 3  <-- Short hand is halfway between 3 and 4
|   |   |
|   6   |      This clock shows half past 3.
 \  |  /       Time to go home from school!
   ---

Bigger Pieces of Time: Days and Months

Time is not just about hours and minutes. We also group time into bigger chunks that help us plan our lives.

• The Days of the Week: There are 7 days in a week!
  • Monday (Siku ya kwanza) - School starts!
  • Tuesday (Siku ya pili)
  • Wednesday (Siku ya tatu)
  • Thursday (Siku ya nne)
  • Friday (Siku ya tano) - End of the school week!
  • Saturday (Jumamosi) - Time to help at home or visit the market!
  • Sunday (Jumapili) - A day for rest, family, and worship.
• The Months of the Year: There are 12 months in a year! Some months are for the long rains when we plant in the shamba, and some months, like December, are for big holidays!

Morning (a.m.) and Afternoon (p.m.)

A day is split into two parts.

• a.m. (Ante Meridiem): This is the time from midnight until noon. It's the morning! When you wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school, it is a.m.
• p.m. (Post Meridiem): This is the time from noon until midnight. It's the afternoon and night! When you eat lunch, play after school, and go to sleep, it is p.m.

A Day in the Life of Kamau:

Kamau wakes up at 6 a.m. to the sound of a rooster. He gets ready and has his breakfast. At 8 a.m., he is at school for the parade. He has fun learning until lunchtime at 1 p.m. School ends at 3:30 p.m., and he walks home. He plays outside until 6 p.m., then does his homework and has dinner. By 8 p.m., he is in bed, ready for a new day!

Let's Do Some Time Maths!

We can even do calculations with time. Let's remember the magic numbers!

60 seconds = 1 minute
60 minutes = 1 hour
24 hours = 1 day

Problem 1: Your favourite TV show starts at 4 o'clock. It is 1 hour long. What time will it end?

Start Time: 4 o'clock
Length:     + 1 hour
--------------------
End Time:     5 o'clock

Problem 2: Your teacher gives you 2 minutes to solve a puzzle. How many seconds is that?

We know:  1 minute = 60 seconds

So, 2 minutes = 60 seconds + 60 seconds
              = 120 seconds

You have 120 seconds! Go!

Image Suggestion: A friendly, animated lion wearing a teacher's graduation cap, pointing at a chalkboard with the time formulas (60 seconds = 1 minute, 60 minutes = 1 hour) written on it. The style should be cheerful and educational for kids.

You are a Time Master!

Wow! Look at everything you have learned today. You can read a clock, you know the days of the week, and you can even do time maths! Time is all around us, helping us every single day. Keep looking at clocks at home and at school. The more you practice, the easier it will become. Hongera sana (Congratulations)!

Safari ya Saa: A Journey Through Time!

Habari mwanafunzi! Welcome to a fantastic adventure. Today, we are not travelling by matatu or by train. We are going on a journey through TIME! Have you ever wondered how your mum knows when it's time to wake up for school? Or how the school bell knows exactly when to ring for break time? The secret is our guide for today: the Clock!

Imagine you are waiting for your favourite show, like Akili and Me, to start. You keep looking at the clock, watching the hands move. That's you, travelling through time! Let's learn how to read the map of this journey.

Our Guide: The Magical Clock Face

Most clocks we see at home or in class have a round face. This is called an analogue clock. It has two very important hands that work together like a team.

• The Short Hand is the Hour Hand (we can call it mkono wa Saa). It moves very slowly and tells us the hour.
• The Long Hand is the Minute Hand (mkono wa Dakika). It moves faster than the hour hand and tells us the minutes.

Look at this clock. The numbers 1 to 12 show the hours. To read the minutes, we count in fives starting from 12. So, when the minute hand points to 1, it's 5 minutes. When it points to 2, it's 10 minutes, and so on!

        , - ~ ~ ~ - ,
    , '               ' ,
  ,                       ,
 ,                         ,
,          12             ,
,         /               ,
,        9   o---> 3       ,
,         \               ,
,           6             ,
 ,                         ,
  ,                       ,
    ,                  , '
      ' - , _ _ _ ,  '

In the drawing above, the short hand (hour hand) is pointing to 3, and the long hand (minute hand) is pointing to 12. This means the time is exactly 3 o'clock!

Image Suggestion: [A bright and cheerful cartoon illustration of a smiling clock face. The clock is set against a vibrant Kenyan background with acacia trees and a distant Mount Kenya. The clock's hands are pointing to 9:00, with the short "Saa" hand being a little green tractor and the long "Dakika" hand being a tall, friendly giraffe.]

Building Blocks of Time

Time is made of small pieces that build up into bigger ones, just like building with blocks! Let's learn their names.

• Second (Sekunde): The time it takes to clap your hands once. Clap! That was one second.
• Minute (Dakika): This is made of 60 seconds. It's about how long it takes to sing the first verse of our National Anthem, "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu".
• Hour (Saa): This is made of 60 minutes. One lesson period in your class is usually about one hour long.
• Day (Siku): This is 24 hours long. It’s the full time from one sunrise to the next.
• Week (Wiki): This is 7 days. Think about it from one market day to the next market day!

Here are the most important rules to remember:

    60 seconds = 1 minute
    60 minutes = 1 hour
    24 hours   = 1 day
    7 days     = 1 week

Morning or Evening? Understanding a.m. and p.m.

A day is 24 hours long, but our clock only has 12 numbers. So, the hour hand goes around the clock TWICE every day! How do we know if it's morning or night?

We use a.m. and p.m. to help us.

• a.m. (ante meridiem): This is the time from midnight until noon. It's the morning! We wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school in the a.m. hours. (Asubuhi)
• p.m. (post meridiem): This is the time from noon until midnight. It's the afternoon and night! We have lunch, play, do our homework, and sleep in the p.m. hours. (Alasiri na Usiku)

A Day in Juma's Life:

Juma wakes up at 6:30 a.m. to the sound of birds chirping. He eats his breakfast and leaves for school. His first lesson starts at 8:00 a.m.. He eats lunch at 1:00 p.m. and plays football with his friends after school at 4:00 p.m.. After dinner, he is in bed by 8:30 p.m., ready for another great day!

Let's Calculate! Time Mathematics

Now for the fun part! Let's use our math skills to solve time puzzles.

1. How long did it take? (Finding Duration)

You went to visit your shosho (grandmother). You left home at 10:00 a.m. and arrived at 1:00 p.m. How long was the journey?

We can count the hours on a number line:

   10:00 a.m. ----> 11:00 a.m. ----> 12:00 p.m. ----> 1:00 p.m.
       (1 hour)        (1 hour)        (1 hour)

   Step 1: Count the hours from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
   Step 2: 10 to 11 is 1 hour.
   Step 3: 11 to 12 is 1 hour.
   Step 4: 12 to 1 is 1 hour.
   Step 5: Add them up: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 hours.

   Answer: The journey took 3 hours!

2. Converting Hours to Minutes

Your CRE teacher gave you 2 hours to finish a project. How many minutes is that?

    We know:   1 hour = 60 minutes

    So, for 2 hours, we multiply:
    2 hours * 60 minutes/hour = 120 minutes

    Answer: You have 120 minutes to finish the project.

3. Converting Minutes to Hours and Minutes

You watched a movie that was 140 minutes long. How many hours and minutes is that?

    We know: 60 minutes = 1 hour

    Step 1: Divide the total minutes by 60.
    140 / 60

    Step 2: How many times can 60 go into 140?
    60 * 1 = 60
    60 * 2 = 120  (This fits!)
    60 * 3 = 180  (This is too big)
    So, we have 2 full hours.

    Step 3: Find the remaining minutes.
    Total minutes - minutes in 2 hours
    140 - 120 = 20 minutes remaining.

    Answer: The movie was 2 hours and 20 minutes long.

The 24-Hour Clock

Have you ever seen a bus ticket from Mash Poa or Easy Coach with a time like 22:00? That's the 24-hour clock! It's used to avoid confusion between a.m. and p.m.

• From midnight (00:00) to noon (12:00), the hours are the same as a.m. (e.g., 9:30 a.m. is 09:30).
• After noon, you just keep counting up! To change a p.m. time to 24-hour time, you add 12 to the hour.

Example: Let's convert 4:00 p.m. (when you play football) to 24-hour time.

    The hour is 4.
    It is p.m., so we add 12.
    4 + 12 = 16

    Answer: 4:00 p.m. is 16:00 in the 24-hour system.

Image Suggestion: [A split-panel image. On the left, a smiling child is looking at a classic analogue clock showing 3:00 p.m. with the sun shining outside. On the right, the same child is looking at a digital watch on their wrist which displays "15:00". Arrows connect the two clocks to show they represent the same time.]

Your Turn to be a Time Master!

Wow! You have travelled far on our Safari ya Saa. You learned how to read a clock, the different units of time, how to use a.m. and p.m., and even how to do time maths!

Time is very precious. It helps us plan our wonderful days. Keep practicing by looking at the clocks around you. Ask your parents what time it is. The more you practice, the better you will become.

Hongera! You are now a time traveller!

Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the Wonderful World of Time!

Have you ever wondered why the sun wakes up in the morning, you go to school, and then the moon comes out at night? It's all because of our special friend called Time! Time helps us know WHEN to do things. Today, we are going to become Time Experts. Are you ready? Let's go!

Meet Mr. Clock!

The most common way we see time is on a clock. A clock has a face with numbers, just like you have a face with eyes and a nose! It also has two very important hands that move around.

• The Short Hand is the Hour Hand. It moves slowly and tells us the hour.
• The Long Hand is the Minute Hand. It moves faster and tells us the minutes.

Image Suggestion: A bright and cheerful cartoon clock character with a big smile. The clock face has large, colourful numbers. The short hand has a label pointing to it that says "Hour Hand (Slow and Short)" and the long hand has a label that says "Minute Hand (Fast and Long)".

Here is what a clock face looks like:

        , - ~ ~ ~ - ,
    , '     _._     ' ,
  ,       /   \       ,
 ,        | 12|        ,
,         \ | /         ,
,     11    |    1      ,
,   10      |      2    ,
,           |           ,
, 9 ------- O ------- 3 ,
,           |           ,
,   8       |      4    ,
,      7    |    5      ,
,         / | \         ,
 `        | 6 |        '
  `       \ _ /       '
    ` , _ _ _ _ _ , '

Telling Time: O'clock

When the long minute hand points straight up to the number 12, we say it is "o'clock". It's the start of a new hour! To know which hour it is, we just look at the short hour hand.

Think about our school day! We start our morning lessons at 8 o'clock. The short hand points to 8, and the long hand points to 12. At 10 o'clock, we go for break time to play! The short hand points to 10, and the long hand points to 12. Sawa?

Look at this clock. It is showing 3 o'clock. This is the time many of us go home from school!

        , - ~ ~ ~ - ,
    , '     _._     ' ,
  ,       /   \       ,
 ,        | 12|        ,
,         \ | /         ,
,     11    |    1      ,
,   10      |      2    ,
,           | . . . . . 3 
, 9 ------- O           ,
,           |           ,
,   8       |      4    ,
,      7    |    5      ,
,         /   \         ,
 `        | 6 |        '
  `       \ _ /       '
    ` , _ _ _ _ _ , '

Telling Time: Half Past

What happens when the long minute hand travels halfway around the clock? It points straight down to the number 6! When this happens, we say it is "half past" the hour.

Think of a delicious chapati. When you share it equally with a friend, you cut it in half. The minute hand has gone halfway around the clock. This means 30 minutes have passed.

Image Suggestion: A simple diagram showing a circle (representing a clock face) next to a round chapati. Both the circle and the chapati are split in half with a dotted line, with one half shaded in to illustrate the 'half past' concept.

For example, if the short hour hand is a little past 12 and the long minute hand is on 6, it is half past 12. This is usually lunchtime!

        , - ~ ~ ~ - ,
    , '     _._     ' ,
  ,       /   \       ,
 ,        | 12|        ,
,         \ | /         ,
,     11    .    1      ,
,   10      .      2    ,
,           .           ,
, 9 ------- O ------- 3 ,
,           |           ,
,   8       |      4    ,
,      7    |    5      ,
,         / | \         ,
 `        | 6 |        '
  `       \ _ /       '
    ` , _ _ _ _ _ , '

Bigger and Smaller Bits of Time

Time is made up of small and big pieces. Let's learn about them!

• A Second is very, very short. Try clapping your hands once. *Clap!* That was about one second!
• A Minute is made of 60 seconds. It's about the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" two times.
• An Hour is made of 60 minutes. One of our lessons in class is about one hour long.

Let's see that as a formula:

60 Seconds = 1 Minute
60 Minutes = 1 Hour

Days of the Week

An even bigger piece of time is a day. There are 7 days in every week! We come to school on some days and rest on others.

Let's name them in English and Kiswahili:

• Monday (Jumatatu) - School Day
• Tuesday (Jumanne) - School Day
• Wednesday (Jumatano) - School Day
• Thursday (Alhamisi) - School Day
• Friday (Ijumaa) - School Day
• Saturday (Jumamosi) - Weekend! Time to play or help at home.
• Sunday (Jumapili) - Weekend! A day for rest or worship.

Amina follows a weekly schedule. From Monday to Friday, she wears her school uniform. On Saturday, she helps her mother fetch water and feed the chickens. On Sunday, she wears her best dress to go to church with her family. Time helps Amina know what she needs to do each day!

Let's Practice!

Activity: Look at the clock below. The long hand is on the 12. The short hand is on the 7. What time is it?

        , - ~ ~ ~ - ,
    , '     _._     ' ,
  ,       /   \       ,
 ,        | 12|        ,
,         \ | /         ,
,     11    |    1      ,
,   10      |      2    ,
,           |           ,
, 9 ------- O ------- 3 ,
,           |           ,
,   8       |      4    ,
,     ` . 7 |    5      ,
,         /   \         ,
 `        | 6 |        '
  `       \ _ /       '
    ` , _ _ _ _ _ , '

Answer: It is 7 o'clock! Maybe it's time for dinner!

You Did It!

Wow! You have learned so much about time today. You learned about the hour and minute hands, how to tell time to the o'clock and half-past, and about the days of the week. You are a true Time Teller! Keep looking at the clocks around you and practice telling the time. Hongera sana! (Well done!)