Key Messages
Reproduction is a natural and necessary part of the human life cycle.
Learning Intention
Students will: Investigate the process of reproduction.
Time
20 minutes
Required Resources
- Mummy laid an egg! by Babette Cole, published by Random House UK, 1993
Teaching Notes
This entertaining book explores some common myths about conception and childbirth. The children in the story triumph in the end by setting their parents straight on a few reproductive facts and present the information in a very matter-of-fact way.
There is extra information about sex that is not in the book:
- Sex is only for adults.
- Sex does not always make a baby.
- There always has to permission / consent for sex to happen.
- Sex happens in a private place.
- Sex is not for people in the same family.
- Sex is supposed to make a person feel good about themselves and their partner.
Procedure
- Introduce the book Mummy laid an egg! (Babette Cole, 1993) and discuss the front cover, asking the students what they think it might be about.
- During the book ask the students the following questions where relevant including:
- Why do you think these types of stories are told to children?
- What are the correct names for the body parts mentioned in the book?
- Did the children in the book do a good job at explaining conception?
- Why do you think there are animals on the last page? (Discuss how normal reproduction is in nature. Human reproduction is also a natural part of the life cycle. We need to reproduce to keep life going).
Questioning
- What did you like about the book? (Discuss the fact that every human is already a winner because we were all created from an ovum, or egg, and a winning sperm).
- When you were younger, where did you think babies came from? (Allow time to discuss various myths).
- What people or sources of information can an individual access if they have any further questions?