Elementary School Mod 4 My Body, My Choice
Week 7 “Boobies and Body Hair”
Objective: Girls will learn about the changes in their body during puberty. They will
discuss the growth of breasts and discovery of body hair.
Mate- rials:
Pens
Handout ”Boobies and Body Hair” Handout “The Bra Business” Bra Total Time: 55 Minutes Activi- ty:
Start the discussion with a review of what they learned the week before about puberty. Explain to the girls that everyone experiences puberty in differ- ent ways and at different times.
Tell them that today they will be learning about Boobies, Bra’s and Body Hair.
They might laugh a little. But tell them that you want to inform them about these important things so that they are well prepared for when these changes take place.
Ask the girls:
Why do we get breasts anyway? Boobies or whatever else they call them. The medical term is “Breasts”.
Have the girls give you their answers. They might not know the reason.
Tell them that they are mainly for feeding any babies you might have when you are much older. Breasts/Boobies have breast milk and it is the baby’s healthiest first food.
Most people think they look attractive and they are sensitive to be being touched. But their primary purpose is for feeding babies.
Tell the girls that just like their period, sooner or later they will get breasts/boobies. If you get your boobies at a young age, it doesn’t mean they will end up big. The sizes of your breasts have nothing to do with when you ac- tually get them. If you are a late developer, you won’t necessarily have small breasts. They may continue growing until you are about 17th
As your breasts start to grow, they might feel a bit tender, tingly or itchy but this will soon end. One breast may grow faster than the other, but don’t wor- ry about it- they will even out. However, no one has exactly the same two breasts.
How do Breasts Work
Breasts are made mostly of fat, which cushions and protects the milk- making areas deep inside. Milk isn’t made until a woman has had a baby. It comes out of the nipples through tiny holes that are too small to see.
Shapes and Sizes
A lot of girls and women feel self-conscious about their breasts. They come in different sizes. So, some girls and women worry about their breasts being bigger or smaller. All sizes of breasts are normal and pretty.
Transition the discussion to Body Hair. Ask the girls where do women and growing girls in puberty get hair. Of course some of them will say on your arms, head and legs.
Tell them that one of the first changes they will notice is that they will start getting hair in places they didn’t have hair before. It might feel silly and it might even look silly.
But tell them it is normal and no one else needs to see it because it is in the spots that are private.
They might notice some hair near their vagina. Tell them that this hair is called, “Pubic Hair”. It is called that because it is on the pubic bone. The first hair to sprout is your pubic hair.
This gets curly as it grows and it may be a different color than the hair on your head.
Ask them what they think why hair is down there. The answer will sur- prise them. No one really knows why people get pubic hair or armpit hair. Some people say it might be so that their sweat can cling to the hair. Some animals use their sweaty smell to attract a mate, but this doesn’t work with humans. Monkeys are pretty successful at it.
The hair under your arms comes in about a year after you get pubic hair. If you want to shave this hair talk to your mom or a trusted female adult to ask their opinion of the best way to do that.
Interview Assignment
Tell the girls that they are to interview a female adult in their lives to ask them questions about their puberty experience. They can ask questions about their breasts, body hair, period or any other questions they wanted to know about. Pass out the interview sheet and have the girls come up with 8 questions they would ask.
Example questions:
Where you scared about the changes that were happening to your body?
What did you do when boys stared at your breasts? When did you get your first bra?
The goal of this assignment is for them to get to know their trust female adult a little better and to talk with her about issues that they are experiencing now or will be soon.
Help them shape the questions. If the girls can not think of any, do the assignment as a group.