The School of
Flora & Fauna
Where Girls Grow Wild and Wise
Fall Session 2
Book Choice: Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

Program Overview
  • 6-week program, starting November 3rd
  • Monday-only sessions: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
  • For girls ages 8-13
  • Centered around Lauren Wolk's Echo Mountain
  • Investment: $155 per week
*Optional cooking class the week of Thanksgiving, dependent on interest. November 24th.
What's Included
  • Morning Core Academics (Math, Language Arts) with Stacy Wilhelmsen
  • Afternoon Guest Artist Series
  • Custom workbooks for each student
  • Community service projects
  • Nature exploration and creative arts
  • Echo Mountain book
  • Multimedia notebook for journaling

Our Core Pillars
Nature Connection
Connecting with the natural world through exploration, observation, and hands-on activities, fostering a deep appreciation for the environment. Real-world application of math skills and sacred geometry. Exploration of astrology and moon cycles throughout the seasons with weekly phenomenology walks and journaling, plus sit spots for reflection.
The Arts
Unlocking imagination and self-expression through various artistic mediums, encouraging innovative thinking and problem-solving. Each week will feature artists from the community who bring their expertise and creativity to the Loft for us to explore the arts together.
Storytelling and Creative Writing
Developing communication skills and cultural understanding by sharing narratives, both personal and ancient, nurturing empathy and perspective. Building skills to develop different writing strategies each week as they create their own books of storytelling, poetry, and connection.
Friendship & Community Service
Building strong social bonds, promoting collaboration, and fostering a sense of belonging among participants, empowering collective growth. Working with our local community to give back in a meaningful way. Integrated math skills include money, percentages, decimals, along with number sense and fluency.
Weekly Themes
Session 2 Theme: Connection and Identity
Week 1 • November 3 • Connection to Self
Anchor Question: Who am I becoming, and how do I listen to the voice inside me?
Afternoon Artist Series: Energy Work & Crystals
Week 2 • November 10 • Connection to Nature
Anchor Question: What can the natural world teach us about resilience and belonging?
Afternoon Artist Series: Healing Plants & Salves
Week 3 • November 17 • Connection to Others/Community
Anchor Question: What does it mean to belong to a community, and how do we care for one another within it?
Afternoon Artist Series: Pottery & Clay Work
Week 4 • December 1 • Connection to Music
Anchor Question: How does music help us feel connected—to our emotions, to our memories, and to each other?
Afternoon Artist Series: Music & Sound Exploration
Week 5 • December 8 • Connection to World/Universe
Anchor Question: What if everything is connected—how does that change how we live?
Afternoon Artist Series: Felting Snowmen
Week 6 • December 15 • Connection to Light | Winter Solstice & St. Lucia Celebration
Anchor Question: How do we honor the light within us and share it with the world?
Afternoon Artist Series: Flower Crowns & Winter Solstice
Echo Mountain Weekly Reading Breakdown
Week 1 • November 3 • Connection to Self
  • Chapter Assignment: Chapters 1-12
  • Focus Areas: Introduction to Ellie and her family's move to Echo Mountain, the initial accident and her father's injury, Ellie's resourcefulness and determination.
  • Key Ideas: Resilience in the face of hardship, self-reliance, adapting to a new environment, the power of observation.
  • Discussion Prompts: How does Ellie cope with her family's sudden change in circumstances? What internal motivations drive her actions after her father's accident? How does she begin to define her role on the mountain?
  • Featured Artist: Angela of Justicia Healing ( Energy Work and Connection to Chakra System )
Week 2 • November 10 • Connection to Nature
  • Chapter Assignment: Chapters 13-25
  • Focus Areas: Ellie's deepening connection with the wilderness, her exploration of the mountain, first encounters with the mysterious 'hag' (Cate) and the dog, her search for natural remedies.
  • Key Ideas: Nature as a source of healing and wisdom, the bond between humans and animals, overcoming fear of the unknown, trusting intuition.
  • Discussion Prompts: How does the mountain become a character in itself? What does Ellie learn from her direct interactions with nature? How does her perspective on the 'wild' shift?
  • Featured Artist: Chelsea of Nighthawk ( Fire Building, Healing Salves and Herbal Tea Blends)
Week 3 • November 17 • Connection to Others/Community
  • Chapter Assignment: Chapters 26-37
  • Focus Areas: Ellie's continued interactions with Cate, learning about healing and compassion, facing prejudice from her family and others towards Cate, the developing mystery around her father's injury.
  • Key Ideas: Empathy and understanding differences, challenging societal judgments, the importance of unconventional wisdom, the complexities of family dynamics.
  • Discussion Prompts: How do Ellie's relationships with Cate and her own family evolve? What does the book suggest about community on the mountain, both seen and unseen? How does Ellie navigate conflicting opinions about Cate?
  • Featured Artist: Krista of La Luce Studio ( Pottery, Holiday Themed)
Week 4 • December 1 • Connection to Music
  • Chapter Assignment: Chapters 38-49
  • Focus Areas: The role of non-verbal communication, understanding sounds of the mountain, healing through sensory experiences, moments of quiet reflection and internal song.
  • Key Ideas: The therapeutic power of sound and nature's rhythms, listening to inner wisdom, finding solace and expression without words.
  • Discussion Prompts: How does silence or natural sound play a role in Ellie's journey or her father's healing? Are there moments where feelings are expressed more through sound or action than dialogue?
  • Featured Artist: Melinda of Out of the Box Arts ( Instruments and Melodies, Notes and Songwriting)
Week 5 • December 8 • Connection to World/Universe
  • Chapter Assignment: Chapters 50-61
  • Focus Areas: Ellie's growing understanding of the interconnectedness of all life on the mountain, revelations about past events, the broader impact of choices, and her place within the natural and human world.
  • Key Ideas: Interdependence, consequences of actions, confronting truth, universal cycles of life and death, finding meaning beyond immediate struggles.
  • Discussion Prompts: How do Ellie's discoveries change her understanding of the wider world and its history? What major truths does she uncover about herself or others? How do her actions affect those around her?
  • Featured Artist: Tricia ( Felting Snowman )
Week 6 • December 15 • Connection to Light | Winter Solstice & St. Lucia Celebration
  • Chapter Assignment: Chapters 62-73
  • Focus Areas: Resolution of the major conflicts, the outcome of her father's illness, celebration of knowledge gained, Ellie's emergence as a stronger individual, hope for the future.
  • Key Ideas: Finding light after darkness, the culmination of effort and belief, celebrating personal growth and wisdom, the enduring strength of hope.
  • Discussion Prompts: How does Ellie's journey resolve the central mysteries of the story? What kind of future does she envision for herself and her family on Echo Mountain? How does Ellie embody "light" in the story?
  • Featured Artist: Flowers by Eryn ( Flower Crowns)
Contact Information