Disturbed by pictures in preK book

[MusicMama]

Let me start of by saying that I don't think I am a prude but...

I went to the library today looking for a little book on the body for my preK daughter. It was just to teach her about organs, bones, muscles, etc. I was disappointed that the majority of the books for her age were intro to sex ed books. :confused: So I grabbed the only other age appropriate one and ran out of the library before Ds managed to break open the train display case. (His mission in life) Thankfully, I previewed the book in the car, and saw that the first two sections featured little kids in their underwear, with captions for body parts. Only underwear. I really don't want my dd to be seeing this! She's only three, and she'll spend the whole time asking "Where are their CLOTHES?!?!?" So any ideas out there? I want a picture book on basic body parts and functions of organs etc. TIA!

[shinyhappypeople]

It would be kind of hard to show the body parts and where the organs are with a kid that's fully dressed. I don't know of any other books that would suit your preferences better.

 

Honestly, I'd try the book out with your DD and see how she likes it. If she asks why the kids aren't fully dressed, just tell her it's makes it easier to show the different body parts that way. No muss, no fuss. If you're nonchalant about it, she will probably be, too.

[ClassicalTwins]

Try Usborne's website and see if they have anything..

 

You could compare learning the body to like going to the Dr.

[Laura Corin]

I don't think that this is strange. If your child went to a swimming pool, there would be children 'in their underwear'.

 

Laura

[Cindyz]

My son is 5 and really enjoys these books.

 

Me and My Amazing Body

 

See Inside Your Body

 

Uncover the Human Body

[truebluexf]

Yes, it would very hard to learn body parts in clothes?? I also think your DD will surprise you. Adults tend to over-think and over-answer questions.

[MusicMama]

Yeah, probably was a little overdramatic about it... But our libraries selection is poor, so I appreciate the links to other books!

[BatmansWife]

You should see the Horizons Health Teachers Guide for Kindergarten. Well, on second thought.....you probably don't want to see it. I only have the guide, not the workbook. I was flipping through it, right in front of dd. The very last page has a drawing of a young girl and boy with no underwear on. The page does say, "optional" at the top. I certianly hope this page isn't in the student workbook (anyone know??).

[truebluexf]

I suppose it all depends on where you want your kids to get this information. I would much rather they see and learn about it with me, and for them to think bodies are normal (and not some weird forbidden fruit). I don't see anything "wrong" with anatomy...do so would imply we were created wrong, IMO!

 

Your best bet might be to just find a book you like otherwise, and perhaps pull the pages you find offensive? You'd have to purchase it, but then you could get the best of both I think.

Edited September 16, 2010 by truebluexf

[Daisy]

I guess I've never thought about it since I have a boy and a girl. My daughter saw me change her brother's diaper plenty of times when she was a preschooler.

[Robin's Song]

I don't think you're being dramatic.

 

We're using this. I found it for $4 at Big Lots this summer :) It is 3-D and everything is INSIDE the body. There is one image of a man's body from the side (outside) but it is a drawing and not at all inappropriate.

 

I do read it to mine and dd6 retains a lot (the littles usually remember at least one thing as well). They all love the 3-d pop ups :)

 

Wow, I just looked for another link so you can look inside but I can't seem to find one. I guess I got a steal because I don't see it new anywhere else for less than $20.

[dansamy]

I don't find either described book inappropriate. However, I'm a nurse & I've seen all shapes, sizes and ages. I want to teach mine to respect their bodies and others. I think that's accomplished easier and better if I educate them frankly & factually at home. Without any melodramatic "Omg! They're naked!" stuff.

 

That being said, I understand others have a different tolerance level.

Edited September 16, 2010 by dansamy

[Brindee]

I don't think you're being dramatic.

 

We're using this. I found it for $4 at Big Lots this summer :) It is 3-D and everything is INSIDE the body. There is one image of a man's body from the side (outside) but it is a drawing and not at all inappropriate.

 

I do read it to mine and dd6 retains a lot (the littles usually remember at least one thing as well). They all love the 3-d pop ups :)

 

Wow' date=' I just looked for another link so you can look inside but I can't seem to find one. I guess I got a steal because I don't see it new anywhere else for less than $20.[/quote']

The link you shared has them for $2 something....plus shipping. :001_smile:

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I don't have suggestions but just wanted to encourage you. :) I would probably have similar concerns as my son is particularly concerned with modesty at this stage, more so than we've taught him to be, and I'd want to respect that. There is plenty of time. :)

[amey311]

Have you tried just looking up "skeleton" or something similar in the library? I'd assume there would be a couple of non-fiction books that deal with bones and then others that deal with muscles, etc. If your library allows for online searches, you might compare what they have with amazon (since you can often look inside the books on amazon).

[Haiku]

I'd be more worried about a child's fear/discomfort with unclothed bodies than I would with her seeing underwear. Especially a child that young ... I'd think underwear would be a very normal thing. I guess it depends a lot on the parent's attitude.

 

Tara

[Farrar]

Obviously, you have to do what's comfortable for you... but at this age, it's not sexual for them. It's just bodies and body parts. I want to teach them about boundaries and privacy, but my own philosophy is that if I get really uptight and prudish about it, then they'll think there's something wrong with bodies or with their bodies. Or they'll get fixated and more interested in "private parts." Besides, I want them to know about basic facts about the male and female body - the same way I want them to know about digestion and cells. But again, every parent has to do what they think is right.

[sagira]

Um.. I thought the OP was going to say something like maybe an explicit intercourse drawing or something. It's interesting to me what gives a rise in people. Anyway, in my case, when I showed my three-year-old a picture of a boy in underwear in one of her books, she asked, Why doesn't it show his pilinchi (our word for the male private part, since I don't want to offend anyone :001_huh:)?

 

I'm a childbirth educator, so both my kids know at a young age where babies come from, correct parts and labor and delivery methods, etc. Each family is different. To me, it's got nothing to do with being Christian or not. I'm Christian and want my children to know the wonders of the human body :)

[Annie Laurie]

To me, it's got nothing to do with being Christian or not. I'm Christian and want my children to know the wonders of the human body :)

 

Ditto. I'm Christian. My kids have seen me have babies, they know all about the human body, and I don't think any of that is unChristian.

[Karen in CO]

My dd loved the Flip-Flap Body Book. It will probably meet your needs. It does show the organs through the clothes. It does have reproduction, but it doesn't tell the how it got there part.

[WishboneDawn]

Um...

 

I have to say that I was shocked by what the opening post but not, I think, for the reason the OP thought I might be.

[SkateLeft]

I agree with the other posters who think that those line drawings are completely age appropriate for a preschooler.

 

One suggestion might be to skip the books all together, and make a life size tracing of your kid. Then you can post it up on the wall and label all the parts with her, letting her color it.

[gaillardia]

ISo any ideas out there? I want a picture book on basic body parts and functions of organs etc. TIA!

Getting back to the main issue and question, we've used two of three different books that have either clear overlays with color veins, muscle, bone, or pages to copy and color without raising questions about underwear. A lot of fun to color and fun to explain about the body.:)

[EKS]

I'm guessing that a 3yo isn't going to notice that the kids pictured are "only" in their underwear unless you've made a big deal about that state of dress in the past.

[nd293]

I don't think that this is strange. If your child went to a swimming pool, there would be children 'in their underwear'.

 

 

:iagree:We weren't born fully clothed. I can't think how the body could be discussed without showing it to some degree. And why would we want to? I would expect a preschooler to have seen the unclothed human body within the family context already.

 

Nikki

[LaissezFaire]

I think if you are teaching about the body it should not make you uncomfortable to let her see pictures of children in underwear. This opens up a very good dialogue as to what is private and what is not. It can also teach your child appropriate words for parts that can help her describe any pain or problems she could be having. With clothed pictures that would be trickier.

[LaissezFaire]

 

I'm a childbirth educator, so both my kids know at a young age where babies come from, correct parts and labor and delivery methods, etc. Each family is different. To me, it's got nothing to do with being Christian or not. I'm Christian and want my children to know the wonders of the human body :)

 

I think I am probably in a different mindset as some as well, my kids have seen bodies in the context of birth and some even witnessed their siblings birth so it just would not be weird to them. They are also some of the most modest kids I know even though they know just what is under clothing.

 

Tangent...sorry.

[leann_in_tx]

You could print out coloring pages of different organs and such and talk about them, that way you can pick and choose the images. enchantedlearning.com has some printable coloring pages for body parts, although you might have to pay. I'm not a member so I'm not certain how it works. You could also trace images from a human body book, altering them to make you feel more comfortable, and just talk about them.

[CourtneyChn]

We have an Usborne book called See Inside Your Body that my girls love. It's a lift-the-flap book with cartoons. I don't have it right in front of me but I don't recall any nudity in it. We also have Blood and Goo and Boogers Too: A Heart-pounding Pop-Up Guide to the Circulatory and Respiratory Systems. You may not be into that one because of the grossness factor, but that's precisely why my kids enjoyed it so much.

[NanceXToo]

Well, if you're looking for the inside of the body only, then that's what you're looking for.

 

But insofar as body parts go, I don't think there's anything wrong with picture books for preschoolers that show underwear OR naked body parts.

 

We have a really cute one my 4 y/o loves called The Bare Naked Book. It focuses on various body parts and how they are different for different people (i.e. straight hair, dripping hair, tangled hair, curly hair, where is your hair? Or No teeth, lots of teeth, wiggly teeth, teeth with braces, where are your teeth?) It shows people of different shapes and sizes, even someone in a wheelchair, and there are quite a few pictures that show little kids' butts, kids in underwear, and there is a page for a boy and a page for a girl that shows drawings of the kids naked... but to me it's tasteful and beautifully illustrated, realistic, and entirely appropriate for kids of all ages.

[MusicMama]

Thanks, I appreciate all of your thoughts. I don't know why it bothered me so much! She takes baths with her brother, I make no pretense of modesty while nursing(in the house). They are all familiar with "Mamma's milks" aka boobies, and the correct names of their privates. I guess bc it wasn't a family member's body that it bothered me so much? Or that she's my oldest and sometime I have to remember to :chillpill:

[ClassicalTwins]

Another way to look at this and someone touched on here, if something happens where your child is "touched" or heaven forbid worse, it would be better if some straight forward talk could come from her or at least know "where" bad touch areas are....

 

For our boys now they are 7, we are doing the human body and we are doing this http://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Books-Patty-Carratello/dp/1557342113/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284684577&sr=1-1

 

You have the option of skipping the reproductive area, but we went ahead and did it since they have been asking lots of questions, but still not in the detail of how it all goes together and we only talked about their body not the girl's.

[bbrandonsmom]

CT-you make a very good point w/ the teaching of what's appropriate. Of course it would have to go by age. My ds prob wouldn't understand if I told him that, but I know by 4 we were telling our older ds about that. We even explained that he needs to tell mom or dad if another family member touches him there and why. (most are family cases when you think about it)

 

My friends and I have the naked conversation. Mainly because we all nurse our kids, and talk about how breast feeding has become viewed in the US, and how people view bodies. We teach a body is a body. It has functions. We eat and live healthy to keep our body healthy. Moms feed babies. We haven't gotten to reproduction, but ds keeps asking how he and his ds were born. My boys are very modest and I think modesty is something we need to teach. But they are comfortable w/ the body. They think nothing of seeing their friends in a swim suit or underwear etc. Perhaps, it's because as parents, we don't make a big deal about it.

 

I like the idea a pp had of drawing a big outline of the child and then coloring the organs in? In Essential Science, they have an outline of a person, and you paste on the organs, bones, muscle etc as you learn about them. I really like the full size idea though :)

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Let me start of by saying that I don't think I am a prude but...

I went to the library today looking for a little book on the body for my preK daughter. It was just to teach her about organs, bones, muscles, etc. I was disappointed that the majority of the books for her age were intro to sex ed books. :confused: So I grabbed the only other age appropriate one and ran out of the library before Ds managed to break open the train display case. (His mission in life) Thankfully, I previewed the book in the car, and saw that the first two sections featured little kids in their underwear, with captions for body parts. Only underwear. I really don't want my dd to be seeing this! She's only three, and she'll spend the whole time asking "Where are their CLOTHES?!?!?" So any ideas out there? I want a picture book on basic body parts and functions of organs etc. TIA!

 

Both of my girls love The Flip-Flap Body Book.

[Homemama2]

When we studied the body (with a first grader) we used some of the "Let's read and find out science" series. There is one on muscles, one on the skeleton etc. I can't remember if these would be appropriate for a 3 year old, but most libraries carry them so you can check them out. :001_smile:

[twins05]

My kids have also enjoyed the Usborne Flip-Flap Body Book, starting when my youngest two were preschoolers. They pull it out and read it on their own.

[RanchGirl]

I skimmed the thread and didn't see anyone mention this book and it has been a huge hit in our house: Uncover Human Body. We received it as a bday gift (from a fellow homeschooler) and then lost it, missed it so much we bought another one, and naturally it turned up later so now we have two copies!

 

It covers all the various systems of the body except reproductive. There is a little bladder, kidneys, veins, skeleton, etc. Each system is a plastic model that lifts up with the descriptive page to show the layer underneath. It talks about digestion, including waste, and many interesting little tidbits that kids love to learn about. I am fine with the human body and all details of anatomy being learned, but I might be a bit squeamish of drawings of kids in their undies too... just seems too personal, or maybe too similar to child pornography? I'm not a prude, and my kids are quite familiar with all the necessary sex ed.... but I do see the OP's point.

 

Even Sponge Bob in his underwear bugs me, though for completely different reasons. Now I do remember that we once had a "Maisy" dress up book where she was wearing undies, and that didn't bug me. So anthropomorphized rodents in their underwear, that's apparently fine with me.... I don't always have to make sense do I?? :)

[Robin's Song]

Thanks, I appreciate all of your thoughts. I don't know why it bothered me so much! She takes baths with her brother, I make no pretense of modesty while nursing(in the house). They are all familiar with "Mamma's milks" aka boobies, and the correct names of their privates. I guess bc it wasn't a family member's body that it bothered me so much? Or that she's my oldest and sometime I have to remember to :chillpill:

 

It offended your natural sense of modesty and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Don't feel like you should be more "openminded". This has been the prevailing view for the last few decades, and I don't see anything but bad fruit from everyone being so "comfortable" and "familiar" with their bodies (and everyone else's). We are studying the human body right now and it never occurred to me to use a book with naked children in it. What is there to gain? My kids know what the outside of their bodies look like. They are really interested in the things that they can't see.