WELCOME TO

Bloom Academy

Periods are powerful, learning about them should feel that way too.

You’re probably here because…

You want your child to grow up with a deeper mind-body connection than you had…

✓ you wished you had a community of like-minded people to connect with as you grew up

✓ you want the menstruation experience to be a time of celebration and connection

✓ you want your child to grow up empowered to not only listen to her/their body, but understand it

you’re in the right place!

People sitting on a colorful blanket with papers, cards, and a plush flamingo. One person holds a coloring page of a flamingo, and the other is holding a purple and pink plush flamingo.

BLOOM ACADEMY

Bloom Academy is not just a menstrual education program for youth groups it’s THE Menstrual Education we all wished we had growing up.

It’s 8 weeks of connection, confidence, and cycle wisdom ✨

Bloom Academy was an 8-week menstrual education journey designed to help your child understand their changing body, build confidence around puberty and periods, and feel supported as they step into this new stage of life.

I’m currently RE-IMAGINING this program to focus on private, small groups with just one day of commitment. You can keep perusing this page to learn about how Moon & Bloom’s Youth Education makes an impact on the health and well-being for the youth in your life.

Led by Heather Litster, founder of Moon & Bloom, menstrual health educator, holistic practitioner, and cycle coach, this program blends body literacy, storytelling, and self-care in a nurturing, stigma-free space.

We’ll make learning about periods fun, empowering, and totally normal, we’ll BLOOM together.

Menstrual Education for youth

COURSE MATERIAL

What We’ll Explore

Each week of learning and exploration builds on the last creating a strong foundation of understanding, self-awareness, and body confidence. Classes are 90 minutes long.

    • What are periods and what’s the menstrual cycle really?

    • signs and stages of puberty

    • ice-breaking, stories, and sharing

    • getting to know our internal and external anatomy

    • Exploring different period products (and how to use them!)

    • Menstrual cycle self-care basics

    • How to care for your period in public

    • Creating your own “period pack” and “bleed box”

    • Learn the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle

    • Understand how energy, mood, and body change through each phase

    • Intro to cycle tracking (and why it’s such a superpower)

    • Review your cycle chart

    • Learn about the fifth vital sign (the ovulatory cycle), and how it impacts your brain, muscles, and bones

    • Celebrate what makes menstruation special

    • Dreaming up the “perfect” menarche ritual

    • Understanding period pain, PMS, and other symptoms (including how and when to ask for support)

    • Foods and habits that support your cycle

    • How to rest, move, and care for yourself


    SPECIAL GUEST: Herbalist Marissa Baumeister teaching us to make herbal oils & salves for period cramps * this class will be 2 hours long

    • Talking about periods with friends, adults, and caregivers

    • Breaking stigma in your community

    • The power of storytelling and support

    • Reflect, share, and celebrate your new knowledge

    • Create your own “cycle care” plan

    • Closing ceremony & special keepsake

NOTE: I’m currently RE-IMAGINING this program to focus on private, small groups with just one day of commitment. You can keep perusing this page to learn about how Moon & Bloom’s Youth Education makes an impact on the health and well-being for the youth in your life.

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Children sitting on the floor making or inspecting a craft project with a bowl of red jelly and paper towel rolls.

What’s Included

  • 8 interactive learning sessions with a certified cycle coach (in person at Moon & Bloom)

  • First Moon Kit with period care samples and goodies

  • Body literacy workbook for continued learning

  • Keepsake beaded bracelet

  • Drinks and light snacks each week

  • A warm, welcoming space to grow, share, and bloom

  • Guidebook for parents to follow along with programming and email support for answering questions

  • Optional pre-program video call to feel more prepared and connected to the program.

A NOTE ON

Accessibility

Bloom Academy will take place in-person at 159 King St Unit 110. Here are some arrival instructions.

Please contact me for scholarship options or continue scrolling to learn about sliding scale payment options.

  • So, a sliding scale is a tool that allows for a service to be obtained at multiple price points based on the circumstances of the client. The sliding scale represents the idea that financial resources, including income, are not and should not be the only determining factor in whether or not someone can access services/care/etc.

    Community-based care is one of my core values, and I believe everyone should have access to cycle support and preventative wellness tools regardless of their financial circumstances. For a sliding scale to work it relies on truthfulness and accountability, so I invite each of my clients to be honest with themselves about their financial capacities when deciding on a rate.

    Please use these codes to adjust your appointment fee based on your honest capacity.

    LOWER20
    LOWER50

WHO’S IT FOR?

Bloom Academy is designed for youth ages 9–12, whether they’ve started their period or are preparing for it.

It’s perfect for those who want to:

  • Feel confident and informed about their body

  • Learn about periods and puberty in a fun, supportive way

  • Build positive memories around this rite of passage

  • Join a community where curiosity and conversation are celebrated

A note to parents and caregivers, you’re part of this too.
You’re helping to create a generation that celebrates, not hides, menstrual health.

To deepen your understanding of Menstrual Cycles as you support your child, please check out some of my offerings.

Is this right for my family?

NOTE: I’m currently RE-IMAGINING this program to focus on private, small groups with just one day of commitment. You can keep perusing this page to learn about how Moon & Bloom’s Youth Education makes an impact on the health and well-being for the youth in your life. Join the Waitlist to be the first to learn about the next stages of Bloom Academy.

FAQ

  • I’ve found that youth are often more comfortable and willing to ask questions when parents are not around. So because the goal of Bloom Academy is to make sure that kids are able to learn what they need in order to be understand their menstrual cycle, it's best when parents allow them to learn in a small group of just kids. That being said, a major focus in the program is teaching them how to communicate about menstrual health with their safe adults.

    This program will also include access for parents to their own follow along guidebook.

  • Definitely not! They will still gain so much valuable and in-depth education that they won't ever know unless they're taught. And they will still deeply benefit from the support of being held and witnessed at this important rite of passage. It's never too late to feel witnessed, guided, honoured, and celebrated at this milestone.

    Bloom Academy is suitable for those who are preparing for their first period AND those who have recently begun menstruating.

  • None at all. The focus of a Bloom Academy is to educate and empower children around the biological and emotional changes they are about to experience. This program is suitable for, and welcome to, everyone from any religious background.

  • This depends a bit on the individual child and their development and readiness. Some children will be physically and emotionally ready to attend at 8, when they're curious and excited and eager to learn. And some 8 year olds won't have puberty on their mind at all and may be very uninterested. As their parent, you will know better than anyone.

    It is the most supportive and comfortable for kids to be in peer groups where everyone is fairly close in age. If your child is older than 12, they may really prefer and benefit from a private 1:1 Cycle Coaching Session where they can connect with me 1:1 and learn at their level.

    Of course, these are general guidelines and if you have any questions at all, please do reach out to me.

  • Absolutely. I want every child to be welcome as the wonderfully unique individual they are and to feel free to express themselves however they feel reflects them best.

    Bloom Academy is inclusive, and I focus on biological education rather than gender education. Meaning, I will teach about the happenings of the reproductive system of bodies that have a uterus. I don't focus on "becoming a woman" so much as a child's body growing into an adult body.

    I recognize that not everyone with a period identifies as female, and that not all females bleed. Children who don't identify as girls may still menstruate and need the body literacy to understand their menstrual cycle all the same. I bring this awareness and respect to Bloom Academy.

    If you have any questions about inclusivity, please reach out to me and we can chat

GET IN TOUCH

Questions about Bloom Academy?

Reach out to Heather today to inquire about the next intake of Bloom Academy. You can also head over to our calendar to book a discovery call to learn more about the program.

MEET YOUR GUIDE

Get to Know Heather

I’m Heather, holistic health practitioner, menstrual cycle guide. I’m just a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser trying to find my way into an embodied state of flow. All I ever hope is to introduce folks to everything they wish they learned about their mental and physical health growing up, making informed choices for personal lifestyle and goals feels good.

Learn more

QUALIFICATIONS

Why Learn with Heather?

Heather takes a special interest in the biological and cultural expression of menstrual cycle awareness in communities. She has a ton of formal and informal trainings and is currently studying for a 200 Hr YTT, Certified Holistic Nutritionist and recently completed a Certificate as a Cycle Coach. Heather has been a Youth Sports Coach for 8+ years as well as a mentor and coach in other capacities. Heather is a trusted “Village Auntie” type that the kiddos love to connect with.

    • Double major in Anthropology + Biology focus on Health Sciences - Trent University

    • Cycle Coach School - Claire Baker

    • FAM Fundamentals - Nat Daudet

    • Mindful Mucous Method - Nat Daudet

    • Love, Laugh, Luteal - Consciously Cait

    • Menstrual Equity 101 - Free Periods Canada

    • Radically Reclaiming the Blood - Laura Carmody

    • Stewarding Practical Bleeding Spaces - Laura Carmody



    • Specializing in Fertility, Prenatal, Postpartum - By the Moon

    • Specializing in Fertility, Prenatal, Postpartum - By the Moon

    • Somatic Trauma Therapy Training - Embodied Philosophy

    • Certified CPR/First Aid + AED

    • SafeTalk Suicide Intervention

    • ByStander Intervention

    • Diversity & Inclusion

    • Experiential Herbalism - Hawthorn Herbals

    • Outdoor Leadership - Outward Bound

    • 200 Hr Embodied YTT - School of Living Yoga

    • Certified Holistic Nutritionist - Alive Academy

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Text reading 'Less Taboo More Yes' in orange on a black background.

What is
Moon & Bloom?

Moon & Bloom (formerly known as Heather’s Holistics) is an education and wellness business with a mission to bridge gaps in our current health care system. As of today, 1 in 4 Canadians face period poverty and the average time for someone to receive a life changing diagnosis of endometriosis is 7-11 years. Wild! Right? Moon & Bloom’s mission is to help end period stigma so that folks feel safe enough to ask for help and know that they will be heard when they do. Research shows that reducing stigma helps improve education and decrease period poverty as well as increase and improve quality of research into taboo topics such as menstrual health - and that’s our goal. Less taboo, more yahoo!