P.E.riod Excuses by Jacqueline Wilson
P.E.riod Excuses
Written by Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt and narrated by Jodie Whittaker, P.E.riod Excuses is a short story about three young girls who try to use their period as an excuse to get out of P.E. But they soon discover that being able to talk about their periods openly isn't an option for girls everywhere.
With thanks to AntoineLock for animating Nick's illustrations.
Lesson resources
This resource is made up of Jacqueline Wilson’s Period Excuses animation as the core stimulus, and a set of accompanying activities to draw out your students knowledge and understanding about periods. The activities aim to get everyone talking openly and learning from each other, creating a safe space and open dialogue.
Why talk periods?
Globally, every day, 288 million women and girls are on their period, yet around one in three don't have a decent toilet to use for changing safely and keeping clean. WaterAid believe that every woman and girl should be able to manage their menstruation in a hygienic way, with privacy, safety and dignity. We can't achieve this until we start talking about periods openly - stimulating important debate and real change.
The taboo around periods is still very much alive in the UK too, which is why we’re thrilled that periods are now officially part of the National Curriculum in England and Wales. This will help break the stigma, mystery and taboos linked to periods, by encouraging everyone, everywhere to get talking about periods.