Firstly, I want to recognize\u00a0that the first group had a fantastic class planned for us last week! Thank you for being one of the first presentations and setting some great examples for us to use in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
This post discuses what the appropriate age group might be to first introduce children to the topic of\u00a0sexual education. The current curriculum of British Columbia introduces concepts of sexual education in grade 6, but some parents and policy advocates are recommending a younger age – as early as Kindergarten. Two developers from Vancouver have recently developed an animated application for children ages 5 – 12 that teaches about ‘where babies come’. These developers are trying to work with the Ministry of Education to get the application into schools and promote sexual education at an earlier age.<\/p>\n
I heard about this issue last weekend while listening to the CBC radio. I immediately thought of our physical education course and wondered ‘What would Steve think about this issue?!’ In my opinion, it is a very young age to introduce children to the topic and I would be worried about the ramifications in an institutional environment. Is the subject mater too mature? Does it open up ideas too early? Will these children be too comfortable with sexual topics?\u00a0How will that affect their interactions with other peers- bullying, sexual harassment, earlier sexual experiences.<\/p>\n
An earlier introduction to this topic in school does allow children to understand \u00a0it in a realistic perspective rather than a made up tale, for example,\u00a0the general stork and baby image. \u00a0I do believe that we need to be real with children and not censor every topic. Children do have curiosity about the world and we should honour that and teach them the truth.<\/p>\n
You can view the video for the application below.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/teaching-kids-about-sex-through-a-mobile-app-1.3222464<\/p>\n
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