Whether your son reads I’m a Boy, My Changing Body on his own or with you, these questions and exercises will help to make the experience more interactive and will also assure you that he has grasped the important concepts.
Download the Questions and Exercises below to print and use with your son.
Interactive Questions
Question:
What is puberty?
Find it in the book:
See page 4.
Puberty is the time when your male anatomy slowly wakes up so one day you can help make a baby. Puberty lasts for about five years.
Question:
Have you noticed that your testicles have become a little larger?
Find it in the book:
Page 5, with anatomy figure. During the early stage of puberty, the testicles grow a small amount. It is normal for the two testicles to be a little different in size and one testicle might be lower than the other.
Question:
The genitals are the testicles and the penis. How would you describe the inside of the penis?
Find it in the book:
Page 7, with anatomy figure.
The inside of the penis looks like a sponge. In the center of the sponge is a tube called the urethra. Urine (pee) flows through the urethra and comes out the end of the penis through the urethral opening.
Question:
What is each part of the penis called?
Find it in the book:
Page 9, with anatomy figure.
- Root of the penis
- Body of the penis
- Glans penis
Question:
Why are the testicles located outside the pelvic cavity in the scrotum?
Find it in the book:
Page 12, with anatomy figure.
While sperm are developing in the testicles, they are very sensitive to temperature. If they get too cold or too warm, they cannot mature. The temperature inside the pelvic cavity is too warm for the sperm. The body’s solution is to put the testicles in a sack that hangs outside the body. This sack is called the scrotum. The temperature is much cooler in the scrotum than inside the body.
Question:
Sperm are made in the testicles. What are the parts of a sperm?
Find it in the book:
Page 12, with anatomy figure. There are three parts of a sperm.
- Head
- Middle piece
- Tail
Question:
Where are sperm made in the testicles?
Find it in the book:
Page 16, with anatomy figure.
Sperm are made in tiny tubes inside the testicles.
Question:
Sperm must travel from the testicle into the pelvic cavity to get to the penis. What is the name of the tube that takes the sperm from the testicle into the pelvic cavity?
Find it in the book:
Page 17, with anatomy figure.
The tube is called the vas deferens. The vas deferens on each side passes through a small opening in the abdominal wall and that is how it gets into the pelvic cavity.
Question:
What boy anatomy is located in the pelvic cavity?
Find it in the book:
Page 20, with anatomy figure.
- vas deferens (2 of them)
- seminal vesicles (2 of them)
- prostate gland
Question:
What is the urinary bladder and what does it do?
Find it in the book:
Page 21, with anatomy figure.
The urinary bladder is where urine (pee) is stored. Urine flows into the urethra in the center of the penis and comes out of the penis through the urethral opening in the glans penis.
Question:
Sperm swim inside the vas deferens into the pelvic cavity and they get very tired. Where do they go to get more nutrients?
Find it in the book:
Pages 24, 26 & 29, with anatomy figures.
There are two glands that give nutrients to the sperm.
- seminal vesicles (there are two of them): Fluid from the seminal vesicle is pumped into the vas deferens and this fluid is like an energy drink for the sperm.
- prostate gland: This gland is wrapped around the beginning of the urethra and pours fluid into the urethra when the sperm arrive.
Question:
How do sperm get into the penis?
Find it in the book:
Page 26, with anatomy figure.
The sperm, swimming in fluid from the seminal vesicles, are dumped into the beginning of the urethra. Fluid from the prostate gland is also dumped into the beginning of the urethra. The fluid and sperm mix together and is called semen. Semen flows down the urethra and out the urethral opening in the glans penis.
Question:
When a penis is circumcised, what is the name of the skin on the glans penis that is removed?
Find it in the book:
Page 9, with anatomy figure. The prepuce (also called the foreskin) is removed.
Question:
Have you noticed that you have hair in new places?
Find it in the book:
Page 32, with anatomy figure. During early puberty, pubic hair starts growing near the root of your penis. You might also notice that the hair on your arms and legs is getting longer.
Exercises
Here are some exercises for your son to complete.
1. Put your hands on your hips. What bone are you touching?
The bone you are touching is the pelvis. It is a circle of bone with a space in the middle called the pelvic cavity.
2. When you are alone, look for these parts of your penis. (You can refer to anatomy figure 3A/B on page 9 of the book.)
- glans penis, are you circumcised or uncircumcised?
- body
- root, is there pubic hair growing here?
3. When you are alone, look closely at your scrotum.
- Are the two sides of the scrotum the same size?
- Is one side lower than the other?