Cycle 1 Week 24 At Home Activities for Classical Homeschooling
Looking for fun and engaging ways to practice the Cycle 1, Week 24 memory work at home? Read along as I share about activities, games, and books that have enriched our homeschooling week.
In this post, I share with you about my weekly homeschool rhythms with my small children (ages six, four and two). I explain about the activities, games, and readings we do together to practice the Cycle 1 Week 24 memory work (new grammar) at home throughout the week.
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Cycle 1 Week 23
Last week we finished up Cycle 1 Week 23. My girls learned about some more African countries as they continued to work through their new African Countries workbook. We played a South America dice game which also includes the South American countries that we learned about last week. My daughters loved weaving their own God’s Eye as we learned about the Liberation of South America. We also enjoyed playing a Liberation of South America four in a row game that I made. We played another fun game where my girls put different kinds of weather and clouds on their “sky” as we moved through different weather fronts. Read more about what we did at home during week 23 here. If you’re curious about what we did at home during the first semester of Cycle 1, read more here. You can also get a peek into our first couple of homeschool weeks here.
Review Games
Also make sure to check out SIX different fun review games you can play with your children as we approach the end of the year! These include an Easter/spring themed “candy-land” style memory work review game, a Tornado geography game, a history monopoly style board game, science Old Maid, helping and linking verbs card games, and Latin noun endings Bingo. Read more about all these games and how to get them here.
Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling
If you are part of a Classical homeschooling community, are you tutoring? If you are, be sure to check out my posts with tutor ideas for all twenty-four weeks here.
Also, I have a youtube channel where I make videos with tutor and memory work ideas each week. Below is my tutor video for Cycle 1 Week 24. Visit my channel for tutor ideas for many other weeks and other videos with homeschooling tips and encouragement.
Morning Devotional Time
I begin each day with our morning devotional time. This is my favorite part of the day with my kids. It is also one of my favorite things about homeschooling. I love that we don’t have to rush out of the door in the morning. My kids get the sleep they need and we can linger over breakfast and read God’s word together.
I have learned some morning habits that help us all get down to breakfast at the same time. This helps me make the most of our morning time together. Read more about these habits here.
Once we are all sitting around the breakfast table and my kids start eating, I begin with our Bible study time. I read to them a small passage from my Bible and then the corresponding story in The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible. (TCICB). This Bible has BEAUTIFUL illustrations and is very accurate to the truth of the actual Bible. We follow along with the Bible readings and study that corresponds with the Bible memory work we are learning.
Bible Study
What Bible study am I doing you might ask? I love using the Foundations of The Bible study from @drivenbygrace. This Bible study goes along with Bible memory work. Lindsey, the author of the study, matches the stories from TCICB that go along with the Bible study and Bible memory work for that week. If there aren’t enough Bible stories for each day of the week, then I find others that go along with the theme. After I read, I try to ask my kids a few questions about it to see how much they understood. My six year old is pretty sharp at this.
If you’re curious about more of what I do in our morning devotional time, read my post about it here.
This week, I read Lesson 24 from the Foundations of the Bible study about the Seven Parts of the Tabernacle. The Bible stories from TCICB that I read each morning either correspond to the Bible study or part of this week’s memory work. See the end of this post for my PRINTABLE lesson plans with details of what I read each day.
The 24 Family Ways
As I read to my kids from the Bible Study Lesson, I have them either color their 24 Family Ways coloring book or one of the activity pages from the Foundations of the Bible study activity book. This works well because they can concentrate on coloring and listen to me read.
After I read the part of the Bible study lesson to them and we talk about it, I go over the Family Way (from Sally and Clay Clarkson’s 24 Family Ways) we are learning about this week. We also work on memorizing the Bible verse that goes with that Family Way. I write both the Family Way and the Bible verse on chalk boards that I have hanging up by our kitchen table so we can see them often.
I also have found songs that match with each Bible verse that I play after we eat breakfast. The songs I use are mostly from Steve Green’s CDs. Songs are amazing for helping children memorize the Bible. Download my matchup of the 24 Family Ways with Bible verses and songs from my Resource Library.
Singing Hymns
Then comes my kids’ favorite part, SINGING HYMNS! I stumbled over this gem of a book called My First Hymnal by Karyn Henley and it is AWESOME! I let my kids each choose a hymn to sing and I sing it for them (sometimes they join in). It’s great that they are learning hymns and the ones in this book are fabulous for kids. I also show my kids one of these Attributes of God letter cards from @drivenbygrace.
Math and Language Arts
Each day I try to do at least a little math and language arts with my oldest daughter. This year she is working through The Good and The Beautiful Level 1 math curriculum. Read here why I decided to switch from Saxon math to The Good and The Beautiful (TGATB). TGATB is very open and go and a good mix of lessons and activities. It’s beautiful too! I try to do a lesson with her after our morning devotional time. She is usually the freshest then and if I wait until later in the day to do it, I’m not as consistent.
I also have this Handwriting without Tears for my oldest daughter and the first level for my younger daughter. Sometimes it works out to have my girls do some of this in the mornings. If we don’t have enough time the, I have my older daughter do a bit in the afternoon when it’s quiet time. I don’t do it every day with her, just a few times a week.
Weekly Memory work songs
I try to review as much of the weekly memory work with my kids as possible during the week with songs and games. Often when I’m cleaning up breakfast, I play this week’s playlist of memory work songs. We also listen to these songs in the car when driving. See my playlist of Cycle 1 Week 24 songs for English, Science, Math and Geography below.
Daily Subject Focus
I like to dive deeper into one subject each day. I’ve found that focusing on just one subject each day is very manageable and doesn’t feel overwhelming. Here is our usual weekly schedule (you can download this template here):
Geography
This week in geography, we learn about the North Atlantic. First, I show my girls where Greenland, Iceland, the Denmark Strait, and the Davis Strait are on their placemats. We really enjoy reading Puffin Adventures: A Day in the North Atlantic by Little Worm Books.
Make sure you check out the entire Cycle 1 booklist I made for second semester! I have amazing picture books that relate to the memory work for each week in the second half of Cycle 1 (weeks 13-24).
North Atlantic Dice Game
My daughters and I play this North Atlantic and Canada dice game that I made. We switch off rolling one or two dice and trying to name the location that matches the number (or sum) rolled. This game also includes the Canadian provinces and waters that we learned about during weeks 20 & 21! You can get this North Atlantic and Canada dice game for free with my other Cycle 1 Week 24 Memory work activities at the end of this post.
We sing a song together to the tune of Kumbayah. This helps my girls remember these North Atlantic locations. See my video below.
Countries of Africa Notebook!
My girls also continue coloring in their Countries of Africa Notebook this week. I really enjoyed making this book and I’m excited to share it with you all! There is a page for each of the 54 countries of Africa plus Western Sahara. Each day, the kids get to discover one or more countries as they learn about their location, capital, iconic animal, popular dish, flag, and a fun fact.
The kids can color the maps, animals, and flags for each country as they explore! At the end of the notebook, there is a complete reference of all the African flags. I have also included two labeled maps of Africa with all the countries marked (one in color and one in black and white). Plus, there are blank maps for your children to fill in as they learn about each country. We also enjoy reading J is for Jollof: An African Alphabet by Dr Gloria Fátúsìn which has great visuals and more information about some of the popular dishes in Africa.
Learning the Countries of Africa
We are LOVING learning the countries of Africa as part of the geography this second semester. I made this fun Africa map that we have on our wall by our kitchen table with all the countries made out of felt.
My girls love taking the countries off and on as we learn their names and locations. Download a paper map of Africa with all the countries labeled here.
I have the patterns for all the African countries, as well as a tutorial about how to make this kind of map in my Etsy shop. Also see my video for how to make this map with a few simple materials. You can find more information and links for these materials here.
We also made up a fun song to help us learn all of these African countries!
History
This week in history we learn about the Portuguese Empire. My daughter enjoys putting together this Christ the Redeemer puzzle that I made which helps her learn the history sentence. You can get this puzzle for free with my other Cycle 1 Week 24 Memory work activities at the end of this post.
Rock Painting
My daughters also have fun painting their own rocks. We talk about how the rock paintings in Serra Da Capivara, Brazil are said to be the oldest art in the Americas. They are hidden away in high cliffs and the paintings are of animals such as the jaguar, lizard, giant rhea bird (now extinct), and deer. I also have my girls create a story about their art since most Brazilian rock art is understood to represent a myth. This history activity is from the “Our Story” in Scribblers (Cycle 1, Week 24) which you can find on ccconnected.com. Follow the steps below if you’re unsure how to find it.
- Login to ccconnected.com
- Click on “Learning Center” on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Click on “Scribblers” at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and click on “Cycle 1, Week 24.”
- Click on the “Our Story” and you’ll find this history activity under “Expressing.”
My girls are also planning to sell their rocks to the rest of our community group at our annual Spring craft fair!
Timeline Image Coloring Page
Each week I also give my kids the Timeline Image from Scribblers in ccconnected.com. My girls enjoy coloring a Brazilian parrot this week. I like to laminate these each week and make a timeline of them on our wall as we go through the school year.
Science
This week in science we learn about some markings on the globe. My girls and I enjoy reading Maps & Globes by Jack Knowlton and Harriet Barton, and There’s a Map on My Lap! All About Maps by Tish Rabe.
Markings on the Globe Spinner
My girls enjoy spinning a spinner and identifying the different parts of the globe that we are learning about. I also show them our actual globe and we find lines of latitude and longitude, the Prime Meridian, degrees, and the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. You can get this parts of the globe activity and spinner for free with my other Cycle 1 Week 24 Memory work activities at the end of this post.
My daughter also colors the Science coloring page from Scribblers Cycle 1 Week 24 in ccconnected.com with the different markings on the globe on it. We sing a song together to the tune of Polly Wolly Doodle. This helps my girls remember these different markings on the globe. See my video below.
Cycle 1 Review Games
Since we have made it to the end of the year, I’m excited to share with you several fun games that will help your kids review the Cycle 1 material they have learned!
Memory Work Meadowland
Memory Work Meadowland is a fun Easter/Spring themed review game that I recently made. This “Candy-land” style board game is the perfect way to review ALL of the memory work subjects from this year!
For this game, you will need:
- Memory Work Meadowland game board (laminate if you wish)
- A game marker for each player (markers from another board game, small pieces of paper, candy, etc.)
- Memory Work Meadowland cards cut out and laminated if you wish (print out several copies of cards)
How to Play Memory Work Meadowland
To play this game, shuffle all the cards and place them face down within reach of all players. The youngest player goes first. On a player’s turn, he or she draws a card.
The card may contain a single color block, two color blocks, or a picture of a place on the board.
- Color card: player moves to the next space that matches the color on the card
- Card with two colors: the player moves to the second space that matches
- Picture card: player moves tot he space that matches the picture
The player must then answer a review question of the subject corresponding to the color or picture of the card. If the player answers correctly, he or she keeps his or her game marker on that spot. If the question is not answered correctly, player goes back to previous spot.
Some tiles on the board are shortcuts with water slides. If a player lands on a tile with the beginning of a water slide, he or she must slide forward to the tile where the water slide ends. If a player lands on a space that contains the bottom of a ladder, he or she must climb the ladder back up to the space with the top of the ladder (ladders make you go backwards in this game!).
Players switch off drawing cards and answering review questions. The first player to reach the church WINS!
You can purchase this Memory Work Meadowland board game from my Etsy shop. I love giving away games and activities away for free. However, this game took me a lot more time to make and I would greatly appreciate your support if you desire to purchase this game from my shop.
Historyopoly!
I also want to share with you this Cycle 1 History Review board game! Step into the past with this engaging and educational history-themed board game where players buy, trade, and own famous historical events! This Monopoly-style game is a great way to review the Cycle 1 history!
This game includes ALL of this historical events from Cycle 1 history in Classical homeschooling. For example, some of the historical events are: The British North America Act of 1867, Prince Henry of Portugal, The Kush, Japan’s Heian Period, and The Romans.
Players roll a die and move through key moments in history. When a player lands on a historical event, they recite the corresponding history sentence in order to claim it as their own! There are also fun Discovery cards that can help or hinder the journey through history, historical currency, flag markers, and historical game markers representing different eras.
This game is PERFECT for learning about and reviewing Cycle 1 history! Download it from my Etsy shop below!
Science Review Old Maid Game
Another fun review game that you can play with your children is this “Old Maid” science review card game!
This game reviews the science memory work from Cycle 1, Weeks 13-24. There are 28 different science themed cards + 4 different “Old Maid” options. Download it for FREE below!
Presidents Games
Also, as we learn about the U.S. Presidents this week, I want to share three games we are loving at home to learn the names and faces of our nation’s leaders.
Presidents showdown
Think of this as a fast-paced face-off game. Each player is dealt an equal stack of president cards, each featuring key facts such as years in office, age at inauguration, executive orders signed, vetoes used, and more. On each turn, a player rolls the custom die to determine the category for the round. Players flip over the top card from their pile and compare the chosen category. The president with the highest number in that category wins the round and collects the card. If there’s a tie, the cards go into a discard pile and the next winner takes it all!
Presidents Memory Card Game
This game is great for learning about the Presidents while building memory and recognition. Simply lay all the cards face down and players take turns flipping over two at a time, trying to find matching pairs of presidents. The player with the most matches at the end wins!
Presidents bingo
This Bingo game includes 20 unique bingo cards and caller cards with all 47 presidents. Each player gets one bingo card and an older sibling or parent uses the caller cards to draw a president at random. Players mark that president if he appears on their board. The first to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts “Bingo!” and wins! Another fun way to learn about the presidents with your kids!
Lesson Plan Templates
Click here to download an EDITABLE template of my detailed lesson plans for Cycle 1 Week 24. Here is a blank template you can download too.
Picture Books for Cycle 1 Week 24
Here are all the picture books we enjoy this week:
- Puffin Adventures: A Day in the North Atlantic by Little Worm Books
- Maps & Globes by Jack Knowlton and Harriet Barton
- There’s a Map on My Lap! All About Maps by Tish Rabe
- Basher History: US Presidents: Oval Office All-Stars by Dan Green and Edward Widmer
- A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra by Robert Levine
- How to Build an Orchestra by Mary Auld
You can see my ENTIRE Cycle 1 picture book list for weeks 13-24 here!
Cycle 1 Week 24 Memory Work Activities
Here are activities to help practice the remaining memory work. You can sign up below to receive these AND the activities I mentioned above for geography, history, and science.
- Linking verbs cards
- Latin noun endings BINGO game
- Math properties ice cream scoop activity
You made it to the end of the year! Congrats to you for all your hard work! I hope you can get some rest and enjoy your summer. Join me again next year for Cycle 2!
