Director: (Uncredited, typical of MarshMedia/classroom educational films) Format: VHS / 16mm Film (approx. 18-22 minutes) Target Audience: 4th–7th graders (approx. ages 9–13) Subject Matter & Approach Released in 1991, this film sits squarely in the late-era “hygiene-first” model of sex education, just before the more explicit, health-focused curricula of the late 1990s. It is a classic “two-part” classroom short: the first half covers male puberty (testosterone, testicular growth, nocturnal emissions, erections, voice changes), and the second half covers female puberty (estrogen, breast development, menstruation, ovulation, body hair).
You want a baseline, no-nonsense, pre-internet overview of the basic mechanics of puberty. Skip if: You need inclusive, medically updated, or emotionally nuanced sexual education. Puberty- Sexual Education For Boys and Girls -1991-
Puberty: Sexual Education for Boys and Girls (1991) is an honest, if dated, artifact of its time. It will not traumatize a child, nor will it fully prepare them for the complexities of adolescent development in the 21st century. For a historical viewing (e.g., a parent watching with a child to compare then vs. now), it is valuable and even charming in its earnestness. As a standalone curriculum today, it is insufficient. It is a classic “two-part” classroom short: the