Education Category: Health
Ages: 8-12

Sexual education programm for a primary school in Port Elizabeth, South Africa For my project on a primary school I developed a sexual education programm for children. Sex is still a big stigma in South Africa and children are not properly educated about pregnancy, contraceptive use and sexually transmitted diseases. That is why I made a PowerPoint presentation including all these topics and teached it to the children of the Sapphire Road Primary School. Manual: Sexual Education 1. Puberty Physical changes: Boys - Chest and shoulders get wider - Voice becomes deeper - Hair grows on the face and chest - Penis en testicles grow bigger and darker in colour - Erections and ejaculation may happen (wet dreams) - Sperm cells are made in the testicles Girls - Nipples get bigger and darker - Breast grow - Hips grow wider - Vaginal discharge may happen - Period happens Both - Grow taller - Weight more - Pubic hair grows near vulva en penis - Underarm hair - Sweat more - Skin becomes oilier/acne/pimples Emotional changes: Both - Mood swings may happen, from angry to sad to happy - Feelings about self may change (self-esteem/insecure) - May feel awkward in times of change - May take more risks - May think about body changes - Want to have privacy - May fight more with your parents - Want to be independent Menstruation: What is a period? A period is when you lose some fluid, including blood, from your vagina. It happens to most women each month. A period lasts for a couple of days, usually between 3 and 7 days. Menstrual Cycle Phase 1: Pre-Ovulation Females have two ovaries that contains thousands of eggs. The hormone oestrogen tells an ovary to release an egg every month. The soft lining of the uterus starts to grow and get thicker. The egg is now maturing. Phase 2: Ovulation Ovulation occurs when a mature egg is released from the ovary. After the egg is released it travels along the fallopian tube to the thickening endometrium. If a sperm cell fertilizes the egg, the egg embeds itself into the endometrium and a baby develops. Phase 3: Premenstrual If the egg doesn’t get fertilized, it breaks down and the endometrium is not needed. As a result, hormone levels drop causing the endometrium to shed. Phase 4: Menstruation The endometrium leaves the body through the vagina as reddish fluid containing blood. This is a period. Period pains: A woman can experience period cramps, when the uterus contracts. It can make you feel tired, low or irritable just before the period is due. Also stomach cramps, headaches and nausea can occur. It can help to: - Regularly exercise such as swimming, biking or walking - Pain killers that specifically aim to get rid of period pain (anti-prostaglandin tablets) - Keeping a hot water bottle or heat pillow on the tummy. Heat helps your body to relax Pre-menstrual Syndrome: 1 to 14 days before period, woman can experience symptoms caused by changing hormone levels. Examples are: headaches, backaches, food cravings, depression, moodiness and general tiredness. Irregular period: Irregular periods are very common, especially for girls who just started menstruating. A normal period comes every 28 days, but it can happen a week earlier of later. If a period stays out, there can be some explanations: - Hormones deciding to go haywire - Stress - Some STI’s - Pregnancy 2. Intimate relationships Who has a girlfriend or boyfriend? What kind of relationships are there? What do you think about gay relationships? What is important in a relationship? -respect - jealousy - honesty - harmful - selfish -lying - violence -patient - demanding - pressure - accepting - comfort What is intimacy? Love Kissing Touching Arousal Sexual Intercourse What happens when a female gets aroused? A woman can get an increased blood flow in the vaginal walls, what makes the vagina wet. What happens when a man gets aroused? A man can get an increased blood flow to the genitals that can cause an erection of the penis. This are both important steps in order to have sexual intercourse. If a woman is not aroused it can be painful if the penis enters the vagina. Also when you have sex for the first time, it can be painful for girls. This is because of the hymen. The hymen is an a pink tissue/ruffle that narrow the vagina. When you had sex for the first time, this can be stretched out, causing pain and loss of blood. This doesn’t happen to every girl, it can also happen when you use a tampon. Some girls have a small hymen and won’t feel anything. When a man and woman have sex the can get an orgasm. This is the sexual pleasure during sexual activity. A woman can experience contractions of the genital muscles. A man can experience this too, causing sperm to spurt out of his penis. This is called ejaculation. Important to know about sex • Only have sex if you both want it and ready for it • It is OK to say no, even if you’re already started • Never feel pressured by anyone to have sex • Talk about your partner want you want and don’t want: communication is very important • Always be save if you are ready for sex! 3. Safe sex Contraceptive methods: What are they for? 1. prevent pregnancy 2. prevent STI Different methods: - condoms - pills - injections - implants - morning after-pill 4. Pregnancy Signs: - Only if you had sex and did not use contraceptive methods - No period - Feeling tired or sick - Food cravings What to do? - pregnancy test - tell your partner, parents, friend, person you trust - go to a doctor - stop drinking alcohol/using drugs 5. Sexually Transmitted Infection STI’s: HIV/AIDS Chlamydia Herpes Hepatitis B/C Scabies Pubic lice Gonorrhea Transmitted by: - sex (man and woman) - blood (also menstrual) - breast milk So not by: - touching - kissing - tears - sweat - urine/feces

For my project on a primary school I developed a sexual education programm for children. Sex is still a big stigma in South Africa and children are not properly educated about pregnancy, contraceptive use and sexually transmitted diseases. That is why I made a PowerPoint presentation including all these topics and teached it to the children of the Sapphire Road Primary School.