GyeongGi-Do ::

Shiheung Museum of Sex Education_Korea Gyeonggi-do

"Meoya", which is easy to remember, is another name of the Museum of Sex Education for infants, children and disabled children located in Shiheong-si. Based on Know-how from 'Ah, Geureokuna' and demonstrated in 2003, sex education is concentrating on children. This year's programs at the Museum of Sex Education, which opened on Feb, 2008, are already fully booked. This reflects how interested people are in recent social problems and sex education. This museum opened due to the necessity of providing easy to understand, accurate sex education.

Meoya was called after "Meoya" (which means 'what is it?' in Korean) which is one of the most frequently asked questions when children are visiting the Museum of Sex Education. This word is used to approach children in a familiar and interesting way. This is a place not only for enjoyment, but also for teaching sex education to children. To educate easily while holding their interest various methods are used including using media, various activities and authentic models. These help children to easily understand and learn about sexual matters and the importance of their body.

Meoya is comprised of 5 rooms,

As you progress through the 5 rooms, sex education is differentiated. These rooms contain different themes. These themes are: World Together, Development in the Womb, Our Growth, My Precious Body, and Share Class. Through this education, children learn the mystery of birth, sexual abuse prevention, and ways to care for their bodies. They learn not only how to love and the process of birth, but also methods of protecting themselves.

The theme rooms

Room 1, World Together is the place for understanding people in society and learning the definition of love. Here you can learn how to express love to family members of different generations. Through this model, you can understand various family configurations. You can also make dolls of family configurations. In addition, there are activities which educate on various themes such as love and birth. It helps them to see the world from the correct perspective

Room 2, Birth Travel.

This room is modeled on a womb. In it you can see an unborn child growing inside a mother’s womb (3, 5, 7, 9 months old). You can listen to the sound of a heartbeat. You can also watch the change which is happening inside of mom's stomach through other multimedia sources.

Room 3. We are Growing.

After the birth, children learn about mom and dad, and learn how to love through role play with actual models. Children seem to seriously listen to the teacher's explanation. Then it's time to experience how mom feels when she is pregnant. Children try on the "pregnant jacket" and usually complain, "It's too heavy"! They next learn the difference between a baby girl and a baby boy. "Why does a baby have to put a diaper on?", "Because my body is very important". After questions and answers, there is a fairy tale to watch.

Room 4. My Precious Body

This room focuses on explanations of the body’s changes relative to secondary sex characteristics, adolescent relationships and continues to emphasise prevention of sexual abuse Through repeated role play, children learn how to deal with real situations.

Room 5. Share Class

After a test to see what is remembered from the programs there are some final activities such as ‘drawing my body’, making a frame of facial expressions, and group programs.

Rounding off activities from Room 1 to Room 5 are,

There is a special program for disabled children and elementary school children, if desired. This is a helpful program which can help children grow up as healthy individuals who can protect their bodies by themselves via repeated learning experiences. In case of the disabled, depending on age, special education programs on venereal disease, abortion, and contraception can be prepared. Children satisfy their curiosity about "where am I from?" through the various activities programs. Their vague concept of sex will become clearer.

‘A-I-Ji-Gui' offered to infants and children is a 2 hour activity program with a sex education theme. The current year's Meoya program has been fully booked, but there are classes in the Museum of Sex Education every last week of the month for residents. For a more thorough study, there is an intensive course called "Growth School", following the general rounding activity program.

There are just a few institutes of sex education. The Museum of Sex Education is the place where children and the disabled, who are highly exposed to sexual abuse, can learn sex education and sexual abuse prevention, through the different activity programs.