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UNESCO Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education

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UNESCO Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education

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This is the international guideline document that Nova Scotia uses to align its curriculum with age and developmentally appropriate sexual health concepts. Can you find all 8 key concepts?

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Let's Talk about...Sexual Health Education

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Let's Talk about...Sexual Health Education

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This brochure for families with children in elementary school share key messages about sexual health education in schools. What pieces of it might you use to communicate with families of your students in September of this year? What else would you add?

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SIECCAN Questions and Answers, 3rd Edition

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SIECCAN Questions and Answers, 3rd Edition

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A helpful document that answers many questions families may ask you about sexual health education in schools. Helpful for teachers and administrators.

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An Annotated List of Newly Listed Picture Books, Novels, Non-fiction titles and Professional Resources

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An Annotated List of Newly Listed Picture Books, Novels, Non-fiction titles and Professional Resources

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This working document will be updated as new resources are approved and listed on the Authorized Learning Resource List (ALR)

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An Annotated List of Books on the ALR Inclusive of Diverse Sexual and Gender Identities

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An Annotated List of Books on the ALR Inclusive of Diverse Sexual and Gender Identities

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This working document will be updated as new resources are approved and available to order through the Nova Scotia School Book Bureau.

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The Canadian Centre for Child Protection houses Nova Scotia's Go-to Resources tht Address Child Sexual Victimization and Exploitation. Understanding the role that personal boundaries play is an important key concept introduced in age and developmentally ways beginning in grade Primary and reinforced every year. This is short video explaining what personal boundaries are and why they matter.

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From the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, this storybook's theme is includes important emotional literacy concepts that support concepts not only in sexual health education, but also mental health literacy, and social emotional learning. It was distributed to schools, is available in PDF/digitally, and is in both languages. Here is a Youtube clip highlighting several pages in the storybook.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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SIECCAN: Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education

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SIECCAN: Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education

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This guiding document includes some helpful pieces for teachers towards the back of the resource. It also includes some talking points and key messages for when you are communicating with families about sexual health education in schools.

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This is an excerpt from Reading the Rainbow: LGBTQ Inclusive Literacy Instruction in the Elementary Classroom

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Pride Puppy is a book by Robie Stevenson and is published by Orca. How might you use this story in your classroom?

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This annual resource distributed by EECD and developed by Nova Scotia Health for students in grade 7, does have good background information and models inclusive language for teachers. It will be of interest to teachers as a reference tool. It has been distributed to students in grade 7 in French and English since 2004. This coming year it will be reimagined in format and content. It had an update this year (over the years it has had updates ).

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This website has videos, blog post, resource suggestions, also good for families that teachers can choose from that align with key concepts at their grade level. What are your thoughts about this website? How might you use it?

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A book to challenge stereotypes around masculinity that contribute to complex, harmful societal health issues. What grade/s could you share this story? Is it a window book? A mirror book? Can you think of a read aloud you could pair this read aloud with? Here is a reading of this story by Frank Murphy.

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A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy | Kids Read Aloud | Story time |Books for Kids

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Listen to podcast with Robie Harris on How to Talk with Young kids about Bodies and Health

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Become an Askable Parent with AMAZE

How to Talk to Young Kids About Bodies and Health

In this episode, you'll hear from the amazing Robie Harris. Robie's groundbreaking sex ed books, including titles such as "It's Perfectly Normal," "It's So Amazing," and "It's Not the Stork" have served as key educational resources for countless families and two of her titles are among the American Library Association's most-challenged books of the 21st century. Robie and host Christine Koh talk about key conversational topics to address with kids, why parents struggle so much talking to kids about how babies are made -- and how to get to the other side of that struggle -- and more.
Links:
Become An Askable Parent is a podcast from AMAZE.org. AMAZE creates free educational videos + resources to help families talk openly, honestly, and less awkwardly about sex, health, relationships + growing up. The goal of the podcast is to help parents learn how to communicate better (even when they don't have all the answers!) so their kids know that they can ask them anything.

Connect with AMAZE.org on YouTube (@amazeparents), Facebook (@amazeparents), Instagram (@amazeparents) and Twitter (@amazeorg).

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How to Talk to Young Kids About Bodies and Health - Become an Askable Parent with AMAZE

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In this episode, you'll hear from the amazing Robie Harris. Robie's groundbreaking sex ed books, including titles such as "It's Perfectly Normal," "It's So Amazing," and "It's Not the Stork" have served as key educational resources for countless families and two of her titles are among the Americ...

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Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

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Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

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The creators of the new Beyond the Basics, their website has some helpful reading material for teachers. Here is one good article that can help you understand what young people want to know about sexual health education.

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Are you a researcher? Email your latest findings and report on issues that can impact the development and delivery of sex-ed to [email protected] .

"Stuff is always changing, youth should be consulted at every point."

Young people want fun and play-based interventions that break the ice and answer their questions about sex

Students need educators to break the ice to talk about sex and relationships. They need to feel connected to educators and their peers in that moment. One way to achieve that is through play and playfulness. Fun is too often missing from sex-ed classes and this means we miss the opportunity for more open and honest sharing of what young people have on their minds, want to know about, have experienced and need to unpack. Games, card games, ice breakers, moving around, jeopardy-type activities, multiple choice, silly approaches, joking around: that's our ticket.

For example, autistic students are not getting the same quality of sex-ed because of the way their lesson plans are organized. And many teachers schedule sex-ed lessons at the end of the school year, leaving very little time for extra hours to lead by example or answer lingering questions. These are just two of the many examples that can stand in the way of sex-ed. Other needs to consider include reaching LGBTQ+ students (even if we don't know which ones may identify that way), students of colour, students with different physical disabilities , different religious backgrounds or cultural identities, etc. Our lessons should be reaching everyone equally.

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What Young People Want and Need for their Sex-Ed

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Are you a researcher? Email your latest findings and report on issues that can impact the development and delivery of sex-ed to [email protected] . "Stuff is always changing, youth should be consulted at every point." Students need educators to break the ice to talk about sex and relationships.

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Many gems on this website. Check out articles and interviews. Some may be a good reference for families of your students.

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I love being interviewed by the
media - whether it's a newspaper, magazine,
TV or radio, or an on-line interview - or
to have my work analyzed by other professionals.
Their comments and questions force me to
think hard about my past work and hopefully
make my current work even better.

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Articles and Interviews " Robie H. Harris, Children's Book Author

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I love being interviewed by the media - whether it's a newspaper, magazine, TV or radio, or an on-line interview - or to have my work analyzed by other professionals. Their comments and questions force me to think hard about my past work and hopefully make my current work even better.

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C3P newsletter information on Kids in the Know that can be shared with families.

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C3P newsletter information on Kids in the Know that can be shared with families.

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< Back to signup page

September 2020

Keeping you in the Know

With back to school looking different for everyone this year, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is offering support with free, easy to access resources. Whether you would like our education team to remotely deliver personal safety presentations to your class, need digital resources for online learning, or are looking for online safety information, we're here to help.

Video Read-Along Storybooks and Comics

Looking for an engaging personal safety activity you can deliver online? Our read-along storybooks teach children about safe and unsafe secrets, trusting their instincts, understanding their feelings, and how to be safe online.

Prefer the printed version? You can also purchase print copies of your favourite storybooks.

Online Safety Lessons

Fast to access, easy to use - these free digital lessons, taken from the Kids in the Know program, are designed for use with students in Grades 3 to 8. Each lesson comes with background information and activities, covering topics such as:

What to do when you see something "weird" online

The risks of sharing photos/videos

Healthy and unhealthy relationships

Consent

How to get help

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Lessons

These free digital lessons for Kindergarten to Grade 8 are based on the Kids in the Know program. They include background information, full lesson plans, and activities to help address topics such as:

Safe and unsafe touching

Safe and unsafe secrets

How to identify a safe adult and how to tell something to a safe adult

Understanding personal boundaries and how to identify boundary violations

Healthy and unhealthy relationships

Grade 9/10 Digital Lesson and Videos

Free for a limited time, this digital lesson plan for use in high school includes age-appropriate videos on topics such as body and sexual boundaries, sexual consent, healthy and unhealthy relationships, what constitutes sexual abuse, as well as where to go for help.

Videos for High School Students

We've made it easy to share our new youth videos with students - no ordering or sign-up needed. Use them to facilitate important conversations and empower students with information to help them make healthy choices in difficult situations. The videos cover topics such as boundaries, sexual consent, stereotypes, and healthy versus unhealthy behaviours in relationships.

Supplementary Resources

Still here, still free. We've heard from parents and teachers about the importance of having access to print resources to support Kids in the Know lessons - both in class or when sent home for remote learning. From activity books to parent brochures, we offer free print copies of all of your favourite supplementary resources - order class sets today!

Kids in the Know - Personal Safety Education Program

Looking for a comprehensive personal safety program you can deliver both in person and online? Check out Kids in the Know! The Kids in the Know program includes age-appropriate lessons and interactive activities for students from kindergarten to high school to help increase their personal safety and reduce their risk of victimization both online and offline.

Available in a variety of kits or by individual grade level, Kids in the Know is matched to the outcomes mandated by ministries of education across Canada and can be tailored fit your school's needs and budget.

To support educators during this time we are offering 25% off all Kids in the Know Products*
*Discounted rate is available until June 30, 2021. Some restrictions may apply. See site for details.

Building Community - Educators Helping Educators

We connect with schools across Canada and we always try to stay in touch.

Already using Kids in the Know? Have you adapted our resources to meet the needs of your class? Let us know! We'd love to share your creativity with other educators across Canada.

Contact us

Virtual Presentation Opportunity

Would you like us to deliver a personal safety presentation to your class? Interested in educator or parent webinars about online risks and trends? Email us at contact@protectchildren.ca to get information about these opportunities.

Trending Resources, Timely Support

For more emerging online safety considerations and resources, visit our COVID-19 response site.

Learn more

©2020, Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. All rights reserved. "CANADIAN CENTRE for CHILD PROTECTION" and "kids in the know" are registered in Canada as trademarks of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc.

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Back to signup page With back to school looking different for everyone this year, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is offering support with free, easy to access resources. Whether you would like our education team to remotely deliver personal safety presentations to your class, need digital resources for online learning, or are looking for online safety information, we're here to help.

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C3P information for families on personal safety and how to talk to their children

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C3P information for families on personal safety and how to talk to their children

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Is Child Sexual Abuse Really a Problem?

In short, yes. Child sexual abuse is more prevalent than most Canadians would like to believe. Research shows about 1 in 10 children will be sexually victimized before they turn 18 and in the vast majority of cases the offender is known to the child.

How Can Parents/Guardians Reduce Risk?

1. Learn about the issue of child sexual abuse and the behaviours and situations that present risk to children and youth. Download our free resources,Protecting Your Child and Child Sexual Abuse: It is Your Business to learn more.

2. Pay attention and respond to interactions between children and adults. If you are uncomfortable with the way an adult is interacting with a child, get involved. Learn more about how to report on theTaking Action page.

3. Teach your child about personal safety. Visitkidsintheknow.ca for age-appropriate resources.

4. Be involved in your child's life. Attend their activities and pay attention to interactions between adults and the children; know who they are building relationships with.

5. Screen and check child protection policies at the organizations and activities your child attends. For more tips on screening organizations download3 Steps for Choosing a Child Safe Organization.

6. Take note of changes. Kids will have off days, but it's important to pay attention to changes in their behaviour patterns. Often when kids are distressed they will communicate more through behaviour than words.

How to Talk to Your Child

When talking to your child, make sure information is age appropriate. Young children shouldn't be exposed to information about child sexual abuse, but rather information about personal safety, such as:

Proper names for body parts, including what areas of the body are private and shouldn't be touched or seen by others.

The difference between secrets that are okay to keep (e.g., a surprise party) and secrets that need to be told to a safe adult (e.g., secrets about touching or picture taking).

Assertiveness skills. Teach children it is okay to say "no" to something or someone who makes them feel confused or uncomfortable.

Identifying safe adults in the child's life.

How to get help from safe adults.

The importance of privacy tied to changing, bathing, and going to the bathroom.

The ability to identify and label their feelings.

Research shows that offenders are less likely to target children who present a risk of telling. Empowering children with knowledge about personal safety and boundaries can help reduce their risk of victimization. For more age-appropriate ideas of what to discuss with your child visit Kids in the Know.

Need Help Getting Started?

The Canadian Centre offers age-appropriate resources that can increase children's safety confidence, as well as being a springboard for conversation about personal safety. Visit the Order Materials page for a selection of FREE resources.

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In short, yes. Child sexual abuse is more prevalent than most Canadians would like to believe. Research shows about 1 in 10 children will be sexually victimized before they turn 18 and in the vast majority of cases the offender is known to the child.

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I love this story for more reasons I can count. It's a story that is great for mental health literacy as much as it normalizes many different kinds of families. Here is an online reading of the story.

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Pornography and its Influence on Young People

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Pornography and its Influence on Young People

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A newly published article that is worth a read. Nova Scotia is doing a lot of work related to the health of young boys and men to address harmful impacts of script of masculinity. It is well researched that males and other genders come across pornography and other sexually explicit material at young ages. While there are no harms associated with developmentally appropriate sexual health education, there are harms associated with sexually explicit material being introduced to children and youth.

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Crabbe and Flood, School Based Education to Address Pornography's Influence on Young People 2021

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This is a good title to keep in your reading library for students to read independently as much as it is a guide for teachers to begin to think about inclusive language both in regards to sexual health education, and in teaching in general. Here is a good online article about this non fiction book with some sneak peeks of two page spreads within the book.

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"If only I could feel about sex as I do about writing!" young Susan Sontag wrote in her diary. "That I'm the vehicle, the medium, the instrument of some force beyond myself." Cultivating such a symphonic relationship with one's sexuality is a lifelong struggle for many, with a score composed during our earliest experiences of getting to know our bodies in relation to ourselves and others. To imbue those formative years with confident and friendly curiosity rather than shame and judgment is perhaps the single most important factor in becoming that instrument.

Half a century after two Danish schoolteachers published the first honest and intelligent guide to teenage sexuality as "a protest against the Victorian/authoritarian school system," sex educator Cory Silverberg and illustrator Fiona Smyth offer a magnificent contemporary counterpart in Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and You (public library). A follow-up to Silverberg and Smyth's marvelous illustrated guide to the modern family, this candid, inclusive, stereotype-defying, and absolutely wonderful primer on sexuality and gender identity embraces diversity in all of its dimensions.

The book's four protagonists, who represent a colorful range of ethnicities and fall on various points of the gender-identity and orientation continuum, guide the reader through the complexities of crushes, kissing, touching, puberty, masturbation, and many more mazes of the sexual ripening journey. With the playfulness of the comic genre and the solidity of thoughtful sex education, Silverberg and Smyth strip this universal coming-of-age process of its cultural baggage and celebrate the openminded, openhearted spirit of discovery so vital to fostering a healthy relationship with sexuality and a lifelong respect for one's own body.

Most boys are born with a penis and scrotum, and most girls are born with a vulva, vagina, and clitoris.

But having a penis isn't what makes you a boy. Having a vulva isn't what makes you a girl.

The truth is much more interesting than that!

Maybe you're called a boy but you know you're a girl. You know how girls are treated and what they do. That's how you want to be treated and what you want to do.

Maybe you're called a girl but feel like a boy. You know how boys are treated and what they do. That's how you want to be treated and what you want to do.

Maybe you aren't sure, or don't care that much. Maybe you feel like both. Maybe you just need some time to figure it out, without all the boy and girl stuff.

Because everyone's bodies are different, all our feelings are different too.

Part of being a kid is learning what you like, what you don't like, and who you are. That's part of being a grown-up too. We never stop learning or changing.

Touching isn't just something we do with other people. We also touch ourselves.

We touch ourselves all the time, in all kinds of places, for all kinds of reasons.

Touching yourself is one way to learn about yourself, your body, and your feelings.

You may have discovered that touching some parts of your body, especially the middle parts, can make you feel warm and tingly.

Grown-ups call this kind of touch masturbation.

Masturbation is when we touch ourselves, usually our middle parts, to get that warm and tingly feeling.

A crush is a special kind of feeling you have for another person. You can have a crush on any kind of person. You can have a crush on a friend or on someone you just met. You can even have a crush on someone you have never met.

Not everyone has crushes. If you do, the first time can be surprising, and can feel a bit strange.

You might think about them a lot. You might want to spend all your time with them if you could.

Just thinking about them can make you happy and nervous. When you are around them, you may feel excited, or awkward, or both.

There's no right or wrong way to have a crush.

Complement the intelligent and inclusive Sex is a Funny Word with Kurt Vonnegut's favorite vintage illustrated guide to sexuality and these wonderful LGBT children's books that help kids make sense of their orientation and identity, then revisit Silverberg and Smyth's equally delightful What Makes a Baby.
Artwork courtesy of Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth

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Sex Is a Funny Word: An Intelligent and Inclusive Illustrated Primer on Sexuality

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"If only I could feel about sex as I do about writing!" young Susan Sontag wrote in her diary. "That I'm the vehicle, the medium, the instrument of some force beyond myself." Cultivating such a symphonic relationship with one's sexuality is a lifelong struggle for many, with a score composed during our earliest experiences of getting to know our bodies in relation to ourselves and others.

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Netukulimk is a key concept that describes Mi'kmaw ways of knowing and being in all of its relationships. Think about how Netukulimk relates to concepts within sexual health education and bring these concepts into your teaching practice across health education and all subjects.

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SIECCAN Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Promotion of Youth with Autism

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SIECCAN Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Promotion of Youth with Autism

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National Guidelines help to inform Nova Scotia's Health Education curriculum development and effective, inclusive delivery to benefit the health and well-being of all students.

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Break the Silence NS Online Module Training Sexual Violence

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Break the Silence NS Online Module Training Sexual Violence

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This is the 8th and newest module in a free training on sexual violence created for Nova Scotians. This module is on Commercial Sexual Exploitation and is an important and necessary training for all of us. Especially useful for teachers of grades 5 and 6, and of course if you are parenting or have special young people in your lives.

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Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence | A Nova Scotia Resource

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Understanding the Sexual Exploitation of Youth: An Introduction | Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence

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Understanding the Sexual Exploitation of Youth provides an introduction to the issue of the sexual exploitation/trafficking of children and youth. The information in this module will help you: Understand what sexual exploitation and human trafficking are. Recognize the signs of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Offer support and options for the young person, without judgement.

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From the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a poster with the 5 safety habits. This would be useful to share with families.

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Age appropriate and a great ELA integrated anchor text.

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From the World Around Us Series. I love the layout and approach within this inclusive non-fiction series from Orca. Canadian content.

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The file for you to read a PDF of this book is too large to share on this platform, however, this page provides a good summary. A must have for grades 2-6. It is available on the ALR. I would not be without it in the classroom as it captures a balance of the risks and benefits of the internet, including ways to be an advocate for positive change in the world.

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On the Internet: Our First Talk About Online Safety introduces children to the basics of online safety in a story-based, conversational style. Using real-world examples set within the context of a child who is using the Internet for the first time and watching an older sibling interact with social media, Dr. Roberts takes readers through several common scenarios around parental supervision, online bullying and anonymity. She also includes examples of people who use the Internet to make the world a better place. On the Internet addresses common safety concerns in a child-centered way and offers easy-to-understand rationales as to why it's important to maintain boundaries online just as in real life.

The World Around Us series introduces children to complex cultural, social and environmental issues that they may encounter outside their homes, in an accessible way. Sidebars offer further reading for older children or care providers who have bigger questions. For younger children just starting to make these observations, the simple question-and-answer format of the main text will provide a foundation of knowledge on the subject matter.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

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On the Internet: Our First Talk About Online Safety introduces children to the basics of online safety in a story-based, conversational style. Using real-world examples set within the context of a child who is using the Internet for the first time and watching an older sibling interact with social media, Dr. Roberts takes readers through several common scenarios around parental supervision, online bullying and anonymity.

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HealthEd P-3 Collection_Annotated list with book images_final

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Webinar for Families -- Online Risks and Trends

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Webinar for Families -- Online Risks and Trends

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Schools share a responsibility with families and communities to safeguard children and youth from online risks to their personal safety. This recently released short video from our partners at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a great resource to share with families via class newsletters or school websites.

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Safeguarding Children and Youth: Human Trafficking Children for Sexual Exploitation

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Safeguarding Children and Youth: Human Trafficking Children for Sexual Exploitation

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Safeguarding Children and Youth: Human Trafficking Children for Sexual Exploitation

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Safeguarding Children and Youth: Human Trafficking Children for Sexual Exploitation

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SIECCAN ISSUE BRIEF: Sexual Health Education Books in Schools and Libraries

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SIECCAN ISSUE BRIEF: Sexual Health Education Books in Schools and Libraries

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2SLGBTQINA+ Inclusive Sexual Health Education: SIECCAN Issue Brief

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Comprehensive, relevant, and inclusive sexual health education is a right for all young people, including 2SLGBTQINA+ youth. This Issue Brief provides data and perspective to support inclusive sexual health education and a safer school environment. Click on the image below to access the PDF.

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SIECCAN Support Documents for Sexual Health Education and Neurodiverse and Youth with Autism

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SIECCAN Support Documents for Sexual Health Education and Neurodiverse and Youth with Autism

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The Enhancing Effective Sexual Health Promotion for Autistic and Disabled Youth project is funded by Health Canada’s Health Care Policy and Strategies Program (Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund).