Personal Development

Personal Development Year 5

Rules for today • This is an open and honest lesson – any questions (where appropriate) will be answered directly and honestly • Respect what others may NOT know • Try and be serious when we are using the ‘tricky’ words • Remember – even though you may think you know most things, we never can truly know everything!

Why is understanding about growing up so important? • The older we get, the more we seek to understand ourselves • It is important to understand the changes that will eventually take place in order to be prepared for them • It is important to have ‘smarts’ when it comes to making good choices • It is a vital part of becoming a grown-up

What do we know already? • Let’s revise some of the words/concepts we have come to know thus far • Differences between male and females • Male body parts • Female body parts • Life cycles • Family structures • The development of the human being prior to birth

The Difference between Males and Females • The emotional differences • The importance of gender (sex) • The roles of both the male and female in terms of reproduction • Although we are different, we are all created in God’s image, and as God sees the beauty in all of us, as must we recognise that equal beauty exists between males and females

The Female Body Parts • Vagina (female sex organ) • Breasts • Bottom • Egg (female sex cell) • Womb (otherwise known as the uterus, which is the cavity within the females abdomen that houses the developing baby) Vagina

The Male Body Parts • Penis (male sex organ) • Testicles • Sperm (male sex cell produced in the testicles) • Bottom

Other Words You Should Know… • Umbilical Cord • Placenta • Amniotic Sac • Foetus • Breast Feeding (bottle feeding)

Words you may not know… • CONCEPTION – the moment at fertilisation when two cells unite and new life begins • FERTILIZATION – when a male sperm successfully breaks through the female ova (or egg), and union occurs

The new stuff… PUBERTY • Puberty is defined as: “sexual maturity; the earliest age at which a person is capable of procreating offspring”. • Depending on the individual, puberty may commence in girls and boys anywhere between the ages of 10 – 16 • It is not uncommon for puberty to occur outside this age bracket • Generally, girls go through puberty before boys, but this is not always the case • Puberty marks the merge of the child body into the adult body • Together with the onset of puberty comes considerable social and emotional change, and a season of self-discovery • All these are a result of the increase in HORMONE production in our bodies • HORMONES are chemicals released into our bodies that cause change to take place

Common Changes for both Boys and Girls • There are both internal and external changes that occur in both boys and girls • Rapid growth spurts (girls may be considerably taller than boys during this time) • Pubic hair developing under the arms and in the pubic region (around the genitals – penis/vagina) • Deepening of the voice (more-so in boys) • May be increasingly emotional • Pimples / acne • Increased sweat production

And just for the BOYS… • Broadening of shoulders and greater muscle definition • Production of sperm (male sex cell) • ALL THESE CHANGES ARE SPURRED ON BY THE RELEASED OF THE HORMONE ‘TESTOSTERONE’ FROM THE PITUITARY GLAND IN THE BRAIN

And just for the GIRLS… • Physical changes include: • Widening of the hips • Development of the breasts • ALL THESE CHANGES ARE SPURRED ON BY THE RELEASED OF THE HORMONE ‘OESTROGEN’ AND ‘PROGESTERONE’ FROM THE PITUITARY GLAND IN THE BRAIN

Things to be mindful of during puberty… • People are developing at their own rate – be respectful of this and be sensitive to those who develop earlier than other people, and later than other people • PERSONAL HYGIENE – keeping clean – regular washing with increased oil production, deodorant, skin care

Personal Development