22: How does the sperm get to the egg - Level One

Welcome back to Six Minute Sex Ed, the podcast that helps families talk about sex and relationships, hosted by Kim Cavill, sex education teacher: //www.teaandintimacy.com/ This week's episode is level one, which makes it good for listeners of almost any age, but especially great for listeners ages 6 - 12. This week, we're going to talk about how the sperm gets to the egg. This episode answers common questions elementary age children ask about where they came from. It covers: What happens when an egg cell joins with a sperm cell: "As people grow up, they develop special cells in their bodies that can reproduce, or make babies: these are called sperm cells and egg cells. A pregnancy starts when a sperm cell meets an egg cell." How the sperm cell and egg cell meet: "Usually, the sperm and the egg meet because of vaginal sex. Sex is something grown ups do in private and sometimes it can start a pregnancy, which is when the developing cells grow into a baby inside the uterus, or womb. Vaginal sex, the kind of sex that can start a pregnancy, works like this: a grown-up who has a penis puts it inside a grown-up who has a vagina and they both wiggle around a little bit until sperm comes out of the penis. Then the sperm swim around and try to find the egg inside the person’s womb, while the vagina tries to help the sperm find the egg. The vagina and the sperm work together to try to start a pregnancy." Other ways people have children: adoption and medical assistance Sex is not just for having children, it's also for pleasure: “Sometimes people have sex to start pregnancies, but most of the sex people have is for pleasure, not for pregnancies. Sex is supposed to feel good, which means if it doesn’t feel good, sex should stop. Just remember that sex is something grown-ups do with other grown-ups, it should always a choice, and it’s private." Other great resources to assist parents in answering these questions: Amaze.org's What to say when your kids ask "How are babies made?": //www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=100&v=8M8nAyTH7Vc Amaze.org's Help kids learn how babies are made [with Scoops & Friends]: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uLqoSh55M8&feature=youtu.be Sex Positive Families's reading list: //sexpositivefamilies.com/sex-positive-families-reading-list/ Conversation starters: Think about other families you know and talk about some of the similarities and differences between those families and your family? Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Six Minute Sex Ed on Instagram, Twitter, and email questions and comments to SixMinuteSexEd@gmail.com