Learning to Chart:
Menstrual Cycles & Body Literacy for Young Menstruating People
The skills to understand how menstrual cycles work and support their body through each cycle.
A four-session course that teaches menstruating young people how to chart their cycle using temperature and cervical mucus observation, based on the Fertility Knowledge Collective's sympto-thermal method.
For anyone who is menstruating Taught by Emma Goff, Certified Fertility Knowledge Collective Educator
What is Learning to Chart?
Learning to Chart is a hands-on cycle charting course for any young person who has started menstruating.
Over four one-hour sessions, students learn to observe, record, and interpret their own cycle using two key fertility signs — basal body temperature and cervical mucus — following the Fertility Knowledge Collective's sympto-thermal method.
Unlike The Constellation, which introduces the story of the cycling body, Learning to Chart teaches the practical skill of charting itself: how to take a temperature correctly, how to observe and record mucus, and how to read the patterns those signs reveal about her own health and cycle.
Young people attend independently — this is their own skill to build, in their own hands.
-
By the end of the course, students will:
Understand what basal body temperature and cervical mucus reveal about the menstrual cycle
Know how to correctly take and record a daily temperature
Know how to observe and record cervical mucus using the sympto-thermal method
Be able to read their own chart and recognize patterns across a cycle
Understand what's typical, and when something is worth mentioning to a safe adult or medical professional
Learn about different menstrual products and how to best care for self throughout cycle
Leave with the tools and confidence to keep charting independently
-
4 one-hour sessions
A basal body thermometer
Paper charts
A menstrual cycle workbook
Read Your Body 3 month subscription (optional if parent/guardian approves of app download)
Session Process
Session 1:
Basics of Menstrual Cycle + Charting
We will learn the hormonal patterns and signs throughout a cycle and how to start tracking on a day to day basis.
Session 2:
Building on Charting
We will learn about how to evaluate when ovulation takes place and what things we should look out for health knowledge
Session 3:
Supporting Cycling
We will learn about different types of menstrual products and how to support one’s body throughout a cycle
Session 4:
Charting Check in
We will go over charts that each individual has been documenting over the course, celebrate wins and empower continued body literacy.
How to book a course:
Choose a Parent Organizer Every group needs a point person to coordinate. This parent — your Parent Organizer — will lead the way.
1
Check the Calendar and Gauge Interest The Parent Organizer shares the course with their community (friends, school, co-op, neighborhood, church, etc.) and collects interest, including which general timeframe would work — weekday mornings, weekday afternoons, weekday evenings, or weekends. Reminder that this course is a four-week program.
2
Parent Organizer Contacts Emma If at least 4 students can commit to the same schedule, the Parent Organizer contacts Emma proposing a start date and time slot for the 4-session cohort. Fill out this form. Once confirmed, Emma will add this cohort to the calendar for direct booking.
3
Book! Parents select the confirmed cohort date/time and individually register their young person. This includes submitting the nonrefundable payment (see details below) and a short intake form. These forms and payment must be completed to secure enrollment. The group will have a one-week window to compete booking for all 4 (or more) participants
4
Frequently Asked Questions
-
This course does not cover the mechanics of intercourse or sexual activity, how to use charting a cycle for family planning or any reproductive health. We will only be discussing how the menstrual cycle works as a whole and how to use it as a vital sign.
-
Parents and caregivers are not present during class sessions, allowing students to engage freely and developmentally with the material. Families will receive guidance and conversation prompts to support continued learning at home.
-
This is for any age group of young people who are already or about to begin menstruating. A group of friends/class is best so that they are around the same age but there are no restrictions on age.
Typically designed for ages 9-18.
-
There are three options for this course:
Emma’s house in Summerville, SC (Summers Corner Neighborhood)
Your location of choice within the Charleston tri-county area
Online via zoom
-
This course costs $120-150 depending on location of course.
-
Absolutely, that is what Matriarch is for! I’d love for you to learn as well.