Sex goose plate
For thirty years, Marjolein Hottentot has been using a self-invented board game to teach young people to talk about sexuality. Now that she has had it designed, other teachers can also use it.
Image: Angeliek de Jonge
"What is a pipe?" The girl changes color. “There are also heating pipes,” one boy jokes helpfully. And when a friend points out that she can also skip a question, she says firmly: "No, no, I know this one." She gives the right answer in no time and puts the card at the bottom of the pile. “You saw her afterwards thinking: Wow, did I say this? She was also so proud that she still had her 'escape disc' ”, says Marjolein Hottentot. It is an example from practice that precisely outlines the purpose of her game of goose: to make sexuality a topic of discussion in a fun way.
There are separate question cards suitable for children from ten to twelve years old, from twelve to fifteen years old and for young people over fifteen years old
She already devised the first version in 1986 for an assignment for the teacher training course in health science and home economics. She then expanded and plasticized the handwritten cards and the homemade game board. For example, she has used the game for thirty years in her sex education lessons, including at schools for secondary (special) education. “Teacher, can we play the sex goose game again, students often asked me, they liked it that much. They helped develop it further by coming up with questions of their own, such as: Is AIDS your own fault? ”
Condom
When Hottent stopped teaching two years ago, the time finally arose to bring the game to the market. Together with the designer Ester Picavet, she came up with a colorful board that, thanks to separate question cards, is suitable for children aged ten to twelve, from twelve to fifteen years old and for young people over fifteen years old. The pawns are seed and egg cells and the color of the squares refers to the corresponding card. Being green asks questions and red requires an opinion. The gray questions are about pregnancy and students must answer together if they land on the same square with 'their' egg and sperm. “That makes it very hilarious. Oh, now we are going to make a baby, students say ”, says Hottentot. The orange squares go with goose board stories in a modern guise. Such as: 'Hey stop, you don't use a contraceptive, go back three steps to buy condoms', or 'You are terribly in love, throw it again'.
Importantly, they discover that sexuality is more than sexual intercourse
You can skip a question once by using your escape token, you end up in the pit when the courtship is over and if you land exactly on box 61, you have won.
Wanting to win motivates students, but in the meantime they practice talking about sexuality. “As a result, they discover what their opinion is and they become aware of their limits and wishes as well as those of others. It is important for them to discover that sexuality is more than sexual intercourse, ”she explains. “I noticed that more and more students are seeing porn as an example. But there is zero emotion, intimacy or romance in that. How do you know what someone else wants if you don't even look at each other? ”
embarrassed
Because everyone already knows the game, it is easy to use in the classroom. According to Hottentot, it is important that you as a teacher guarantee safety. The manual provides tips for this, for example that you divide the groups yourself and agree that nothing will be passed on or made fun of. “Everyone thinks it's exciting, but some are more shy than others, have more experience or know more. It is good to emphasize that that is not bad at all, because the game is actually meant to learn from each other, ”she says. “If someone is really shy to talk about sexuality, you can choose to pair up. Having to discuss an answer with each other is then a very good exercise. "
The game has been on the market for 89 euros for six months. It is self-published. 180 boxes are stacked in Hottentot's houseboat, the rest is in storage. “It was very exciting to order a thousand copies, but luckily the orders are starting to come in,” she says. “The game can be used as a supplement to other methods or during citizenship lessons, for example. I am now working on a version for young people with a disability. I especially hope that as many students as possible will play with it. ”
