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Sexual Health

Sexual Health - Elementary Educator Resources

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

The following grade-by-grade sexual health resources are identified as a reference for educators. You will need to follow your board/school directions related to the delivery of curriculum and selection of materials that are appropriate for student handouts.

Organized on a grade by grade basis, this sexual health resource follows the grade specific expectation(s) as set out in the Ontario Curriculum, Health and Physical Education (2019). Resources provide information related to each and/or several expectations that are listed for the specific grade. 

If you have any questions or can provide additional resources please feel free to contact the Sexual Health Program at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health unit at 705.721.7520 or toll free 1.877.721.7520.

Health & Physical Education

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

A1.4 Healthy Relationships

  • apply skills that help them build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate with others as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical educa­tion, in order to support healthy relationships, a sense of belonging, and respect for diversity

A1.5 Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity

  • apply skills that help them develop self-awareness and self-confidence as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support the development of a sense of identity and a sense of belonging.


Resources:

Healthy Relationship Resource Kit

Western Health Newfoundland; contains activities for Kindergarten to Grade 3 such as, Friendship Circle; Charades of Kindness (Fantasticat); Friendship Chain and Friendship Wreath.

At My Best - A free comprehensive curriculum-supported toolkit for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 to promote and develop children’s overall wellness (physical activity, healthy eating and emotional wellness).

 

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1. Understanding Health Concepts

D1.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify body parts, including genitalia (e.g., penis, testicles, vagina, vulva), using correct terminology and body-positive language [A1.5 Self]


Resources:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Kids Health in the Classroom

KidsHealth in the Classroom is a US based website that offers educators free health-related lesson plans for all grades and subject areas.

At My Best - A free comprehensive curriculum-supported toolkit for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 to promote and develop children’s overall wellness (physical activity, healthy eating and emotional wellness

 

D2 Making Healthy Choices

D2.3 Personal Safety and Injury prevention

  • demonstrate the ability to recognize caring behaviours (e.g., listening with respect, being helpful, respecting boundaries) and behaviours that can be harmful to physical and mental health (e.g., ignoring or excluding others; bullying; manipulative behaviours; sexually exploitative or abusive behaviours, including inappropriate touching; verbal, emotional, or physical abuse), and describe the feelings associated with each, as well as appropriate ways of responding, demonstrating an understanding of the importance of consent [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships]


Health & Physical Education

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

A1.4 Healthy Relationships

  • apply skills that help them build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate with others as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical educa­tion, in order to support healthy relationships, a sense of belonging, and respect for diversity

 

 A1.5 Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity

  • apply skills that help them develop self-awareness and self-confidence as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support the development of a sense of identity and a sense of belonging

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Healthy Relationship Resource Kit – Western Health Newfoundland; contains activities for Kindergarten to Grade 3 such as, Friendship Circle; Charades of Kindness (Fantasticat); Friendship Chain and Friendship Wreath.

At My Best - A free comprehensive curriculum-supported toolkit for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 to promote and develop children’s overall wellness (physical activity, healthy eating and emotional wellness).

 

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1 Understanding Healthy Concepts

D1.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • outline the basic stages of human development (e.g., infant, child, adolescent, adult, older adult) and related changes, and identify physical, mental, social, and environ­mental factors that are important for healthy growth and living throughout life [A1.5 Self]

 

D1.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • demonstrate the ability to identify and appreciate aspects of how their bodies work and describe what they can do to ensure that they will continue to appreciate their bodies as they grow and change [A1.1 Emotions, 1.3 Motivation, 1.5 Self]


D2 Making Healthy Choices

D2.3 Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

explain the importance of consent and demonstrate the ability to stand up for them­selves and others, to enhance well-being and safety (e.g., speaking confidently; stating boundaries, whether in person or online; saying no; respecting the right of a person to say no and encouraging others to respect that right also; reporting exploitative behaviours, such as improper touching of their bodies or others’ bodies) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships]

 

D3 Making Connections for Healthy Living

D3.1 Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

  • describe how to relate positively to family members, caregivers, and others (e.g., cooperate, show respect, communicate openly, manager anger, pay attention to what people say and to their facial expressions and body language), and describe behaviours that can be harmful in relating to others (e.g., verbal abuse, including both online and face-to-face name calling, insults, and mocking; deliberately ignoring someone, or ignoring the feelings they express; physical violence, including pushing, kicking and hitting) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships].
 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Kids Health in the Classroom

KidsHealth in the Classroom is a US based website that offers educators free health-related lesson plans for all grades and subject areas.

At My Best - A free comprehensive curriculum-supported toolkit for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 to promote and develop children’s overall wellness (physical activity, healthy eating and emotional wellness).

Health & Physical Education

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

A1.4 Healthy Relationships

  • apply skills that help them build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate with others as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical educa­tion, in order to support healthy relationships, a sense of belonging, and respect for diversity.
     

A1.5 Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity

  • apply skills that help them develop self-awareness and self-confidence as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support the development of a sense of identity and a sense of belonging.

 

Resources:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Lions Quest - Canadian site that addresses and provides resources related to developmental assets.

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit Positive Mental Health Resources

Best Start is a resource center for maternal newborn and early child development

Healthy Relationship Resource Kit – Western Health Newfoundland; contains activities for Kindergarten to Grade 3 such as, Friendship Circle; Charades of Kindness (Fantasticat); Friendship Chain and Friendship Wreath.

At My Best - A free comprehensive curriculum-supported toolkit for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 to promote and develop children’s overall wellness (physical activity, healthy eating and emotional wellness).

 

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1 Understanding Health Concepts

D1.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify the characteristics of healthy relationships (e.g., accepting and respecting differences, avoiding assumptions, being inclusive, communicating openly, establishing and respecting personal boundaries, listening, showing mutual respect and caring, being honest) and describe ways of responding to bullying and other challenges (e.g., exclusion, discrimination, peer pressure, abuse) and of communicating consent in their interactions with others [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships]

     

    D1.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify factors (e.g., sleep, food, physical activity, heredity, environment, support from a caring adult, sense of belonging, peer influence) that affect physical development (e.g., of hair, skin, teeth, body size and shape), social-emotional development (e.g., of self-awareness, adaptive skills, social skills), and the development of a healthy body image (e.g., of the ability to enjoy, respect, and celebrate one’s body, to acknowledge one’s thoughts and feelings about it, to accept its shape and size and to focus instead on what it can do) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.3 Motivation, 1.5 Self]

     

    D3 Making Connections for Healthy Living

    D3.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • describe how visible differences (e.g., skin, hair, and eye colour; facial features; body size and shape; physical aids or different physical abilities; clothing; possessions) and invisible differences (e.g., learning abilities, skills and talents, personal or cultural values and beliefs, mental illness, family background, personal preferences, allergies and sensitivities) make each person unique, and identify ways of showing respect for differences in others [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Developmental assets - In 1990, Search Institute released a framework of Developmental Assets, which identifies a set of skills, experiences, relationships, and behaviors that enable young people to develop into successful and contributing adults. 

Lions Quest - Canadian site that addresses and provides resources related to developmental assets.

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit Positive Mental Health Resources

Best Start is a resource center for maternal newborn and early child development

Suggested resource for LGBTQ language appropriate for young children: Welcoming Schools

An American based Human Rights Campaign offers a program called Welcoming Schools. The program is dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools by embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ- and gender-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, and supporting transgender and non-binary students.

Kids Health in the Classroom

KidsHealth in the Classroom is a US based website that offers educators free health-related lesson plans for all grades and subject areas.

At My Best - A free comprehensive curriculum-supported toolkit for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 to promote and develop children’s overall wellness (physical activity, healthy eating and emotional wellness).

UK Safer Internet Centre

Empower young people to take control of their digital lives and consider how consent works in an online context. It explores how young people ask for, give and receive consent online. This could be in their friendships or relationships, how they take and share images and videos or how they manage their privacy and data. The Education Packs have been specifically designed to follow this theme and support educators in delivering messages about digital consent. This Education Pack provides a range of resources to help you deliver sessions with 3-7 year olds.

British Columbia: Healthy Families BC - This website is part of the British Columbia provincial health promotion plan to encourage healthier choices at every stage of life.  This specific section, “Five Ways to Well-Being” talks about being emotionally and physically well.


Health & Physical Education

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

A1.4 Healthy Relationships

  • apply skills that help them build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate with others as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical educa­tion, in order to support healthy relationships, a sense of belonging, and respect for diversity (e.g., Healthy Living: explain what they can do to avoid saying something in a text or on social media that they wouldn’t say face to face; identify some of the teachings of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit cultures that can help them strengthen their own relationships)

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Kids Help Phone - Online Safety - Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only 24/7, national support service. They offer professional counselling, information and referrals. It is volunteer-led, text and phone-based support to young people in both English and French -

LGBT YouthlineLGBT YouthLine is a *2SLGBTQ+ youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth (29 and under) across Ontario. Services provided include: anonymous peer support and referrals through phoneline or online chat; training youth to provide support to other youth; and resources for youth to make informed decisions.

UK Safer Internet Centre

empower young people to take control of their digital lives and consider how consent works in an online context. It explores how young people ask for, give and receive consent online. This could be in their friendships or relationships, how they take and share images and videos or how they manage their privacy and data. The Education Packs have been specifically designed to follow this theme and support educators in delivering messages about digital consent. This Education Pack provides a range of resources to help you deliver sessions with 3-7 year olds and 5-7 year olds.

 

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • describe the physical changes that occur at puberty (e.g., growth of body hair, breast development, changes in voice and body size, production of body odour, skin changes) and the emotional and social impacts that may result from these changes [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships]

 

D2.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • demonstrate an understanding of personal care needs and the application of personal hygienic practices associated with the onset of puberty (e.g., increased importance of regular bathing/showering and regular clothing changes; use of hygiene products; continuing importance of regular hygiene practices, including hand washing, oral health care, and care of prosthetic devices and residual limbs) [A1.5 Self]

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

SexandU was created by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC). The website provides an overview of changes in both male and female bodies during puberty.

About Kids Health is created by the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto, this website provides reliable information about puberty in both males and females, as well talks about menstruation and how the body works in males and females.

Teen Health Source - Teen Health Source by Planned Parenthood Toronto is a is a sexual health information service run for and by youth. Teen Health Source offers live peer education services in addition a comprehensive sexual health website. Teens can speak one-on-one with a trained teen volunteer by phone, text, email, or online chat.

Teachingsexualhealth.ca

is an innovative website developed by Alberta educators and health professionals. They offer up-to-date, evidence-based information and strategies for teachers and educators teaching the Alberta Education Human Sexuality curriculum and for parents of children from birth up to 18 years of age. NOTE: Resources may not be grade specific to the Ontario curriculum but content does address the Ontario curriculum expectations)

Suggested resource for LGBTQ language appropriate for young children: Welcoming Schools

An American based Human Rights Campaign offers a program called Welcoming Schools. The program is dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools by embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ- and gender-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, and supporting transgender and non-binary students

British Columbia: Healthy Families BC

This website is part of the provincial health promotion plan to encourage healthier choices at every stage of life.  This specific section, “Five Ways to Well-Being” talks about being emotionally and physically well.

Health & Physical Education

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1. Understanding Health Concepts

D1.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify the parts of the reproductive system, and describe how the body changes during puberty [A1.5 Self]

 

D1.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • describe the processes of menstruation and spermatogenesis, and explain how these processes relate to reproduction and overall development

 

D2. Making Healthy Choices

D2.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify intersecting factors that affect the development of a person’s self-concept, including their sexual orientation (e.g., self-awareness, self-acceptance, social environ­ment, opinions of others who are important to them, influence of stereotypical thinking, awareness of their own strengths and needs, social competency, cultural identity, availability of support, body image, mental health and emotional well-being, physical abilities), and how these factors can support their personal health and well-being [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.5 Self]

 

D2.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • describe emotional and interpersonal stresses related to puberty (e.g., questions about changing bodies and feelings, adjusting to changing relationships, crushes and more intense feelings, conflicts between personal desires and cultural teachings and practices), recognize signs that could indicate mental health concerns, and identify strategies that they can apply to manage stress, build resilience, keep open communication with family members and caring adults, and enhance their mental health and emotional well-being (e.g., being active, writing feelings in a journal, accessing information about their concerns, taking action on a concern, talking to a trusted peer or adult, breathing deeply, meditating, seeking cultural advice from Elders, Métis Senators, knowledge keepers or knowledge holders) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Teachingsexualhealth.ca is an innovative website developed by Alberta educators and health professionals. They offer up-to-date, evidence-based information and strategies for teachers and educators teaching the Alberta Education Human Sexuality curriculum and for parents of children from birth up to 18 years of age. NOTE: Resources may not be grade specific to the Ontario curriculum but content does address the Ontario curriculum expectations). Available in English and French.

SexandU was created by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) and provides an overview of changes in both male and female bodies during puberty.

About Kids Health - is created by the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto, this website provides reliable information about puberty in both males and females, as well talks about menstruation and how the body works in males and females.

KidsHealth in the classroom is a US based website that offers educators free health-related lesson plans for all grades and subject area.

Teen Health Source - Teen Health Source by Planned Parenthood Toronto is a is a sexual health information service run for and by youth. Teen Health Source offers live peer education services in addition a comprehensive sexual health website. Teens can speak one-on-one with a trained teen volunteer by phone, text, email, or online chat

Physical and Health Education Canada Always Changing resource for Grades 5 & 6 is designed to help your students develop fun, active, confident, energetic self-images. 

Dove Self-Esteem Project - resources for teachers aimed at 11-14 year olds that promote body confidence looking at the media’s influence on body image and self-esteem.

 


D3. Making Connections for Healthy Living

D3.2 Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

explain how a person’s actions, either in person or online, including making homo­phobic or other hurtful comments, can affect their own and others’ feelings, self-concept, mental health and emotional well-being, and reputation (e.g., negative actions such as name calling, making sexist or racist remarks, mocking appearance or ability, excluding others, bullying/cyberbullying, sexual harassment [including online activities such as making sexual comments, sharing sexual pictures, or asking for such pictures to be sent]; positive actions such as praising, supporting, including, and advocating) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]

 

 RESOURCES:

“Can You Feel It?”  Designed by youth for youth, “Can You Feel It?” helps students build the necessary life skills to manage and cope with the stress in their everyday lives.  This resource addresses such topics as: What is stress? How do we recognize it? and How do we cope with it? School Health Public Health Nurses can work with schools to incorporate “Can You Feel It?” as part of a comprehensive approach to building resiliency and positive mental health.

The Gilbert Centre provides social and support services to empower, promote health, and celebrate the lives of people living with and affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) and the individuals and families from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) communities of Simcoe Muskoka.

Suggested resource for LGBTQ language appropriate for young children: Welcoming Schools

An American based Human Rights Campaign offers a program called Welcoming Schools. The program is dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools by embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ- and gender-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, and supporting transgender and non-binary students.

Kids Help Phone - Online Safety  - Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only 24/7, national support service. They offer professional counselling, information and referrals. It is volunteer-led, text and phone-based support to young people in both English and French.

Health & Physical Education

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1. Understanding Health Concepts

D1.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • demonstrate an understanding of the impacts of viewing sexually explicit media, including pornography (e.g., leads to a limited or distorted understanding of relation­ships; reinforces harmful gender norms; promotes an unrealistic or idealized body image)

 

D2. Making Healthy Choices

D2.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • describe how they can build confidence and lay a foundation for healthy relationships by acquiring a clearer understanding of the physical, social, and emotional changes that occur during adolescence (e.g., physical: voice changes, skin changes, body growth; social: changing social relationships, increasing influence of peers; emotional: increased intensity of feelings, new interest in relationships, confusion and questions about changes) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]

 

D2.6 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • make informed decisions that demonstrate respect for themselves and others and an understanding of the concept of consent to help build healthier relationships, using a variety of social-emotional learning skills (e.g., self-awareness and identity skills; emotion management skills; critical and creative thinking skills; skills based on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultural teachings, such as medicine wheel teachings connected to the life cycle, the seven-grandfather teachings, or other cultural teachings) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self, 1.6 Thinking]

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Dove Self-Esteem Project - resources for teachers aimed at 11-14 year olds that promote body confidence looking at the media’s influence on body image and self-esteem.

Teachingsexualhealth.ca is an innovative website developed by Alberta educators and health professionals. They offer up-to-date, evidence-based information and strategies for teachers and educators teaching the Alberta Education Human Sexuality curriculum and for parents of children from birth up to 18 years of age. NOTE: Resources may not be grade specific to the Ontario curriculum but content does address the Ontario curriculum expectations). Available in English and French.

  • Consent - covers some important points to understand and discuss with your students about consent, sexual assault, consent and the law, and how to respond to a sexual assault disclosure.
  • Understanding Consent – Video - This video outlines what consent is, what it looks like, and how you get consent.

 

SexandU  was created by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) and provides an overview of changes in both male and female bodies during puberty.

The Idealized Male Body: The Effect of Media Images on Men and Boys

About Kids Health - is created by the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto, this website provides reliable information about puberty in both males and females, as well talks about menstruation and how the body works in males and females.

KidsHealth in the classroom is a US based website that offers educators free health-related lesson plans for all grades and subject area.

Physical and Health Education Canada Always Changing resource for Grades 5 & 6 is designed to help your students develop fun, active, confident, energetic self-images. 

Educational video: The reproductive system for kids | Happy Learning

Teen Health Source - Teen Health Source by Planned Parenthood Toronto is a is a sexual health information service run for and by youth. Teen Health Source offers live peer education services in addition a comprehensive sexual health website. Teens can speak one-on-one with a trained teen volunteer by phone, text, email, or online chat

 

D3. Making Connections for Healthy Living

D3.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

assess the effects of stereotypes and assumptions regarding gender roles and expecta­tions, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, culture, mental health, and abilities on an individual’s self-concept, social inclusion, and relationships with others, and propose appropriate ways of responding to and changing harmful assumptions and stereotypes that can lead to destructive social attitudes including homophobia and racism [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self, 1.6 Thinking]

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

“Can You Feel It?”  Designed by youth for youth, “Can You Feel It?” helps students build the necessary life skills to manage and cope with the stress in their everyday lives.  This resource addresses such topics as: What is stress? How do we recognize it? And how do we cope with it? School Health Public Health Nurses can work with schools to incorporate “Can You Feel It?” as part of a comprehensive approach to building resiliency and positive mental health.

The Gilbert Centre (formerly AIDS Committee of Simcoe County) provides social and support services to empower, promote health, and celebrate the lives of people living with and affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) and the individuals and families from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) communities of Simcoe Muskoka.

Suggested resource for LGBTQ language appropriate for young children: Welcoming Schools

HRC Foundation's Welcoming Schools is the nation's premier professional development program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools by embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ- and gender-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, and supporting transgender and non-binary students

Kids Help Phone - Online Safety  - Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only 24/7, national support service. They offer professional counselling, information and referrals. It is volunteer-led, text and phone-based support to young people in both English and French

LGBT Youthline – LGBT YouthLine is a *2SLGBTQ+ youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth (29 and under) across Ontario.  Services provided include: anonymous peer support and referrals through phoneline or online chat; training youth to provide support to other youth; and resources for youth to make informed decisions.

Health & Physical Education

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

A1. Identification and Management of Emotions

A1.4 Healthy Relationships

  • apply skills that help them build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate with others as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support healthy relationships, a sense of belonging, and respect for diversity (e.g., Healthy Living: explain how appreciating the things that make each person unique can contribute to positive relationship building; practise effective responses to a homophobic or racial slur directed at them or another student)

A1.5 Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity

  • apply skills that help them develop self-awareness and self-confidence as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support the development of a sense of identity and a sense of belonging (e.g Healthy Living: describe ways in which they can monitor and stay aware of their own physical, emotional, and mental health

 

RESOURCES:

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

The Gilbert Centre provides social and support services to empower, promote health, and celebrate the lives of people living with and affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) and the individuals and families from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) communities of Simcoe Muskoka.

EGALE is Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI people and issues. We improve and save lives through research, education, awareness, and by advocating for human rights and equality in Canada and around the world. Our work helps create societies and systems that reflect the universal truth that all persons are equal and none is other.

 

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1. Understanding Health Concepts

D1.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • ­explain the importance of having a shared understanding with a partner about the following: delaying sexual activity until they are older (e.g., choosing to abstain from any genital contact; choosing to abstain from vaginal or anal intercourse; choosing to abstain from oral-genital contact); the reasons for not engaging in sexual activity; the concept of consent, the legal age of consent, and how consent is communicated; and, in general, the need to communicate clearly with each other when making decisions about sexual activity in a healthy, loving relationship [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self, 1.6 Thinking]

 

D1.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • ­identify sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs), and describe their symptoms.

 

D1.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify ways of preventing STBBIs and/or unplanned pregnancy, such as delaying first intercourse and other sexual activities until a person is older and using condoms and other forms of protection consistently [A1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]

 

D2. Making Healthy Choices

D2.2 Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

  • assess the potential impact on themselves and others of various types of bullying, abuse, exploitation, or harassment, including homophobic bullying or harassment and other forms of identity-based bullying, and of the type of coercion that can occur in connection with sexting and online activities, and identify ways of preventing or resolving such incidents (e.g., communicating feelings; reporting incidents involving themselves or others; encouraging others to understand the social responsibility to report incidents and support others rather than maintaining a code of silence or viewing reporting as “ratting”; seeking help from support services; learning skills for emotional regulation; using strategies for defusing tense or potentially violent situations)

 

D2.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • demonstrate an understanding of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive factors that need to be considered when making decisions related to sexual health (e.g., sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections [STBBIs], possible side effects of contraceptives, pregnancy, protective value of vaccinations, social labelling, gender identity, gender expres­sion, sexual orientation, self-concept issues, relationships, love, respect, desire, pleasure, cultural teachings) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]

 

D3. Making Connections for Healthy Living

D3.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • explain how relationships with others (e.g., family, peers) and sexual health may be affected by the physical and emotional changes associated with puberty (e.g., effect of physical maturation and emotional changes on family relationships; effect of growing interest in intimate relationships on peer relationships; increased risk of STBBIs and/or pregnancy with onset of sexual activity) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships]

 

RESOURCES:

SMDHU Demo Kits are a collection of materials that can be used to facilitate and demonstrate various birth control options, Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention methods including condoms and condom demonstrators as well as teaching tools, games and presentations that will assist educators.

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Alberta Health grade 7 specific lesson plans and resources is an innovative website developed by Alberta educators and health professionals. They offer up-to-date, evidence-based information and strategies for teachers and educators teaching the Alberta Education Human Sexuality curriculum and for parents of children from birth up to 18 years of age. NOTE: Resources may not be grade specific to the Ontario curriculum but content does address the Ontario curriculum expectations). Available in English and French.

Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit-

Information on abstinence from SexandU.ca, a credible website produced by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC)

An overview of puberty and body changes in both males and females  from SexandU.ca 

HIV BASIC FACTS PAMPHLET , a PDF of CATIE (Canadian AIDS Treatment and Information Exchange) pamphlet related to HIV, what it is, treatment and prevention.

Public Health Agency of Canada produces the STI Booklet that provides an overview of all Sexually Transmitted Infections, symptoms, how to get tested and treatment. Order of download a PDF version at:   CATIE Ordering page

Physical and Health Education Canada Always Changing resource for Grades 7 & Up is designed to help your students develop fun, active, confident, energetic self-images. 

Adventures in Sex City; a fun and interactive game that tests knowledge and provides facts about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) produced by Middlesex-London Health Unit.

Understanding Consent; Tea Consent this short YouTube video explains consent in a light-hearted way that makes the concept quite clear.

Age of Consent for Sexual Activity in Canada/Ontario, get the facts from the Justice Department of the Government of Canada.

Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick  has produced  No Means No; Understanding Consent to Sexual Activity Booklet that is a comprehensive Question and Answer style information booklet to assist with understanding the law around consent to sexual activity.

Age of Consent for Health Care in Ontario.  Health Care Consent Act, 1996 (e-laws)

STI Flip Chart Produced by SexandU, this PDF is a flip chart that provides a comprehensive overview of Sexually Transmitted Infections and prevention strategies.

It’s Time to Talk booklet (Society of Obstetrician and Gynecologists of Canada publication) provides an overview of male and female anatomy, Birth Control and Sexually Transmitted infections (STIs), reviews myths and truth related to STIs, and unplanned pregnancy as well as worksheets for students to test their knowledge.

Best Start - My life my plan This booklet is for teens. It will help them think about how the decisions they make today can help them live a healthy and happy life now and in the future.  This booklet will guide them through six topics that will help them build their life plan.

Health & Physical Education

Strand A. Social-Emotional Learning Skills

A1. Identification and Management of Emotions

A1.3 Positive Motivation and Perseverance

  • apply skills that help them develop habits of mind that support positive motivation and perseverance as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to promote a sense of optimism and hope Healthy Living: explain how a person might be more motivated to make healthy and safe choices if they know that one of the factors influencing decisions about sexual activity is having a sense of hope and optimism for the future

 

A1.4 Healthy Relationships

  • apply skills that help them build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate with others as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support healthy relationships, a sense of belonging, and respect for diversity (e.g., Healthy Living: explain the positive aspects and the risks associated with close personal relationships and different levels of physical intimacy; make adjustments to suit particular audiences – parents, peers, younger students, community members – when communicating to promote healthy eating)

 

A1.5 Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity

  • apply skills that help them develop self-awareness and self-confidence as they participate in learning experiences in health and physical education, in order to support the development of a sense of identity and a sense of belonging (Healthy Living: describe the importance of self-awareness in building an understanding of identity, including gender identity and sexual orientation)

 

Strand D. Healthy Living

D1 Understanding Health Concepts

D1.4 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • identify and explain factors that can affect an individual’s decisions about sexual activity (e.g., previous thinking about reasons to wait, including making a choice to delay sexual activity and establishing personal limits; perceived personal readiness; peer pressure; desire; curiosity; self-concept; awareness and acceptance of gender identity and
  • sexual orientation; physical or cognitive disabilities and possible associated assumptions;
  • legal concerns such as the legal age of consent; awareness of the risk of sexually transmitted
  • and blood-borne infections [STBBIs]; concerns about the risk of becoming a parent;
  • use of alcohol or drugs; personal or family values; religious beliefs; cultural teachings;
  • access to information; media messages), and identify sources of support regarding sexual health (e.g., a health professional [doctor, nurse, public health practitioner], a teacher, a guidance counsellor, a religious leader, a parent or other trusted adult, a reputable website)  

 

D1.5 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • demonstrate an understanding of gender identity (e.g., male, female, Two-Spirit, transgender), gender expression, and sexual orientation (e.g., heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual), and identify factors that can help individuals of all identities and orientations develop a positive self-concept.

 

 

D2 Making Healthy Choices

D2.2 Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

  • demonstrate the ability to assess situations for potential dangers (e.g., getting into a car with a stranger or an impaired, unlicensed, or inexperienced driver; dependencies or coercion in dating relationships; joining gangs; participating in violence; attending a party where alcohol or drugs are being used; using cosmetic procedures or treatments such as piercing, tattooing, crash diets, or tanning without exploring potential health risks; exposure to infectious diseases through direct contact, sneezing, or coughing), and apply strategies for avoiding dangerous situations

 

D2.3 Human Development and Sexual Health

  • demonstrate an understanding of abstinence, contraception and the use of effective and suitable protection to prevent pregnancy and STBBIs, and the concept of consent, as well as the skills (e.g., self-awareness, communication, assertiveness, and refusal skills) they need to apply in order to make safe and healthy decisions about sexual activity (e.g., delaying first intercourse; establishing, discussing, and respecting boundaries; showing respect; opting to seek additional information and support; having safer sex)


D3 Making Connections for Healthy Living

D3.3 Human Development and Sexual health

  • analyse the attractions and benefits associated with being in a healthy relationship (e.g., support, understanding, camaraderie, pleasure), as well as the benefits, risks, and drawbacks, for themselves and others, of relationships involving different degrees of sexual intimacy (e.g., hurt when relationships end or trust is broken; in more sexually intimate relationships, risk of STBBIs and related risk to future fertility, becoming a parent before you are ready, sexual harassment and exploitation; potential for dating violence)

 

OPHEA Lesson Plans/Supplements - offer lesson plans, supplements and activities designed to reflect the requirements of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Talk to your school Health and Physical Education Lead or Curriculum Consultant to find out if your school board subscribes.

Fully Alive - Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home. The entire program, from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

 

 Additional Resources

 

SMDHU Demo Kits are a collection of materials that can be used to facilitate and demonstrate various birth control options, Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention methods including condoms and condom demonstrators as well as teaching tools, games and presentations that will assist educators.

Adventures in Sex City; a fun and interactive game that tests knowledge and provides facts about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) produced by Middlesex-London Health Unit.

HIV BASIC FACTS PAMPHLET, a PDF of CATIE (Canadian AIDS Treatment and Information Exchange) pamphlet related to HIV, what it is, treatment and prevention.

Public Health Agency of Canada produces the STI Booklet that provides an overview of all Sexually Transmitted Infections, symptoms, how to get tested and treatment. Order of download a PDF version at: CATIE Ordering page.

Teaching Sexual Health Grade 8 is an innovative website developed by Alberta educators and health professionals. They offer up-to-date, evidence-based information and strategies for teachers and educators teaching the Alberta Education Human Sexuality curriculum and for parents of children from birth up to 18 years of age. NOTE: Resources may not be grade specific to the Ontario curriculum but content does address the Ontario curriculum expectations). Available in English and French.

The Gilbert Centre is a community-based, not-for-profit, charitable organization that has been providing programs and services as the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County for over 25 years. In 2015, in part to recognize the reality of people with HIV not developing AIDS, but living health lives with HIV, the organization changed its name from the AIDS Committee to the Gilbert Centre for Social and Support Services. The Gilbert Centre, named after a founder Ed Gilbert, not only reflects the change in HIV, but also embraces the expansion of programming to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals and families in the Simcoe Muskoka area.

More than Friends; Dating and Healthy Relationships Lesson Plan from Alberta Health.  Learner Outcomes: Examine various attitudes, values and behaviours for developing meaningful interpersonal relationships.

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit Relationship Quiz: Assists in assessing the state of personal relationships and identifying when and where to seek help.

SexandU: Produced by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, this section outlines getting to know your body, sexual decision making, sexual attraction and identifying potential problems or concerns

SexandU LGBTQ+:  Talks about sexual identity, sexual orientation, coming out, and provides information about respect and awareness.

It’s Time to Talk booklet (Society of Obstetrician and Gynecologists of Canada publication) provides an overview of male and female anatomy,  Birth Control and Sexually Transmitted infections (STIs), reviews myths and truth related to STIs, and unplanned pregnancy as well as worksheets for students to test their knowledge.

Best Start - My life my plan - This booklet is for teens. It will help them think about how the decisions they make today can help them live a healthy and happy life now and in the future.  This booklet will guide them through six topics that will help them build their life plan.

Tea Consent Video - Sexual consent means saying yes to sexual activity. It’s important to realize that agreeing to one type of sexual activity doesn’t mean that a person is agreeing to other sex acts. Everyone has the right to decide whether or not they want to do something sexual and to change their mind at any point.  This animated YouTube video explains consent using an analogy of offering someone a cup of tea.

 


Want to order a Demo Kits?  Click here.

Visual depiction that explains gender identity and expression, sexual orientation and biological sex.   The Genderbread Person  by its pronounced Metrosexual

Public Health Agency of Canada booklet; Sexual Orientation in Schools Q  & A

Public Health Agency of Canada booklet; Gender Identity in Schools
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