tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post7168317284781200796..comments2024-01-09T02:22:34.756-08:00Comments on Hey, Sex Ed!: Zoos: An Opportunity for Sexuality EducationSex Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018241248967518685noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-73066166604479944572010-05-05T21:14:58.396-07:002010-05-05T21:14:58.396-07:00Great post - another way to utilize animal sex(ual...Great post - another way to utilize animal sex(uality) in the classroom is by talking about same-sex attraction. This Time magazine article is an easy way to let your students know that there humans aren't the only species that exhibit same-sex sexual behaviors. <br /><br />http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1582336,00.htmlRyan McKeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-20463580785568133742010-05-03T08:09:46.451-07:002010-05-03T08:09:46.451-07:00Talk about a creepy adult roaming around a zoo.......Talk about a creepy adult roaming around a zoo....when all of the kids were asking what the otters were doing, you should have yelled, "They're having SEX!" Parents would have loved you! ☺ As an animal lover and a sex educator, I think using animals is an excellent method when teaching your children about sex. It shows how natural sex is. I'm shocked that zoos don't have sources for parents to look at. "What are they doing?!?!?" must be the most frequent question asked at a zoo! Animals have no shame. If the mood strikes...<br /> <br />And Tango Makes Three is an amazing children's book. Even though it was listed as the most banned book in 2008, it shows the purity of homosexuality. I think sex educators around the world should learn from this book and take advantage of such an easy way to introduce sexuality to children.Sex Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07018241248967518685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-15622430134891661502010-05-02T22:42:41.932-07:002010-05-02T22:42:41.932-07:00In regards to the developmental theories we're...In regards to the developmental theories we're learning as well (particularly the notion that we learn by observation of those around us), I wonder how children relate to animals and whether they relate more easily than we do as adults. I have to imagine that they do, considering that the boundaries placed between people/places/things are more tenuous at a younger age.<br /><br />Hell, we've been learning about gay animals in the news recently, I am quite convinced there are ALL kinds of teachable moments at the zoo. A creative and fun post!Sarah Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126691242709859816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-67232578563020737472010-04-28T14:53:26.099-07:002010-04-28T14:53:26.099-07:00I've started using nature (plants and animals)...I've started using nature (plants and animals) as a way to sneak some sex ed into my classroom. I approach it from a compare method. This is the life cycle of a pumpkin, butterfly, etc.. let's think about how this life cycle is like how you grew. Then I showed them pictures of embryos, fetuses, etc and use that vocabulary to describe each stage. We talked about how things were different and the same, at what stages we could make out parts of the animal (human, chicken, etc). I'm not sure if i could swing comparing mating behaviors of plants and parents exactly with first graders, but I bet there's a creative way to tie anything in. Maybe if I did how the babies are born, eggs vs live young, with a two partners versus one parent, etc<br /><br />DarcieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-43792128738524735782010-04-21T15:38:14.950-07:002010-04-21T15:38:14.950-07:00I can't tell you how many times I've gone ...I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the zoo or the aquarium and have seen various creatures getting it on. I think that if there was an exhibit dedicated to animal mating behaviors would be super interesting. I could see materials that could be offered about "we are all sexual beings" and tie in the mating behaviors with human mating behaviors. It would even give the opportunity to speak about homosexuality, monogamy, polyamory etc.. Think "and tango makes 3" with the penguins.Daniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12122096096715223379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-56089252342251746122010-04-17T18:56:40.312-07:002010-04-17T18:56:40.312-07:00I am going to take this blog post in another direc...I am going to take this blog post in another direction related to the use of the book "And Tango Makes Three." I first heard this story in the summer of ’09 when I took Sex and Law with Dr. Hall. During that class we explored censorship and tried to decide when it may be appropriate. This was the book that we used to debate this controversial process.<br /><br />According to the American Library Association, this book was the most banned book in the year 2009 and the most challenged in ’06, ’07 and ’08. <br /><br />As I recall, we engaged in a role play where we each presented our arguments to the superintendent of a school district regarding the placement of this book in an elementary school library. Funny enough I played the role of an expert on penguins working in a local zoo! And I used the exact same arguments you presented Brooke about the popular use of animal stories to present sexuality and many other life experiences. I believe I even said the bible used Noah’s Ark and the animals to talk about sex (hey two by two).<br /><br />I don’t intend to argue both sides in this blog. I want to introduce the challenge we face in public image because of the books we use to educate children. <br /><br />On the one hand we could take the Mark Twain approach. When "Huckleberry Finn" was banned by the Library Committee of Concord, Massachusetts for its coarse language, Twain wrote a friend that the banning was worth the sale of 25,000 copies just by the free publicity alone.<br /><br />So in the case of Tango, the more copies sold, the more this information gets out into the hands of parents which ultimately helps the children. <br /><br />However, the other response by parents who are fearful of teaching sexuality is to withdraw and not be willing to step into this controversy and be known in their community as a parent who teaches homosexuality to their kids. Or even just teaches sexuality to their kids.<br /><br />In helping parents where I work with our first grade sexuality curriculum, THE most common question I get is “how do I tell my child not to talk about this (sex) on the bus?” They are afraid their children will be ostracized for their knowledge and that they as parents will face the same thing. <br /><br />There is no right or wrong answer for this. I mention this to heighten our awareness of just how hard it is for parents, and how sometimes our enthusiasm for this kind of material (children’s books) can interfere with recognizing the need to be compassionate to this fear. <br /><br />On a related note, when looking up this book on the American Libraries Association website, they related a story about a woman in Lewiston, Maine, who checked out a copy of "It’s Perfectly Normal" and refused to return it so as to keep it out of circulation. The patron refused to respond to an order by the city’s officials to return it or be fined, which she ignored. So, the city’s response? They bought four more copies to replace the one. <br /><br />Just sayin'<br /><br />~Sandra<br /><br />References: <br />http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/presskits/2009stateofamericaslibraries/2009statefirstamendment.cfm<br /><br />http://www.twainweb.net/filelist/legend.htmlSandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04345675231129820613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-65291051782221545842010-04-17T07:17:16.585-07:002010-04-17T07:17:16.585-07:00This brings to mind the developmentally appropriat...This brings to mind the developmentally appropriate guidelines developed by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States(SIECUS, n.d.). Level 1 of the developmental guidelines suggest that children between the ages of five and eight are developmentally old enough to understand the concepts of different types of love, sex, having a baby, and that not all individuals can have, or choose to have a baby. What I think is important is to understand ways to express these concepts in language that a child can understand, using a tone that conveys openness to questions, and not angst in talk about the subject of sex. <br /><br />Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (n.d.) Guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education (3rd ed.). Retrieved from http://www.siecus.org/_data/global/images/guidelines.pdfUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04530577310852873954noreply@blogger.com