Cycle 2 Week 13 Tutor Plans for Classical Homeschooling
This week’s plans focus on making the return fun and full of movement — with hands-on activities, songs, and a few space-themed games that tie perfectly into our new science memory work. 🚀
As always, I’m not affiliated with any Classical education organization—these are simply my own ideas and experiences from tutoring over the years. I hope these Cycle 2 Week 13 plans encourage you and spark fresh ideas for your final week of class or homeschool time!
We love being part of our Classical homeschooling community. Read more about how God redirected our path from private education to homeschooling and Classical education here.
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Are you new to the Classical model and want to know more about it? Keep reading below about how it’s organized, the different cycles, our community time, and MORE!
If you already know about the Classical homeschooling model and you are ready to jump to the actual tutor ideas, click HERE.
A Classical model of homeschooling
We are part of a Christ-centered homeschool program that follows the Classical model. The younger children, ages 4-12, focus on a memorization-based curriculum which acts as the groundwork of learning that is built upon in later years.
Children and their parents learn key facts across the core subject areas including history, science, English, mathematics, geography, and Latin. Tutors use fun activities, games, songs, and lots of energy to introduce the new material. The parents can then expand on that material at home throughout the week.
Cycle rotation
The material is divided into three cycles, which each last one year. The cycles continue to rotate every three years, so most children who start when they are kindergarten age, complete each cycle at least twice. This allows them to develop a deeper comprehension and grasp of the material through repetition.
Cycle 2 material
This year in Cycle 2, we’re learning about pre-Reformation to modern history, ecology, astronomy, and physics; Latin verb endings; English pronouns, adverbs, and conjunctions; skip counting, conversions, and more!
The following ideas are what I’m planning to do with the group of kids I am tutoring this year (ages 4-6). You may use these ideas if you are also tutoring in a Classical homeschooling community, or if you’re a parent who is looking for memory work ideas to use at home.
Also, you don’t have to be part of any particular Classical homeschooling group to use these ideas! These are ideas to help children learn key concepts in the core subject areas. If you are a homeschooling parent, or just a parent who wants to supplement what your kids are currently learning in school, these ideas will be helpful for you.
Community group time
Our homeschooling community has been meeting on Tuesdays. Our leader starts off the morning with everyone together in a big group setting. She typically begins that time with a devotional reading and prayer, and then continues with some announcements, celebrating birthdays, the pledge of allegiance, and anything else she wants to cover with everyone.
After this time, we split off into our different groups based on age. The tutors lead their groups into different classrooms and begin the New Grammar part of the day. This is when the tutor introduces the memory work for each core subject. Check out my post and video about how to make your own tutor board!
Cycle 2 Week 13 Tutor and Memory Work Ideas
New Grammar
Geography – Northern European Countries
This week in geography we’re learning about the Northern European countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark! 🇳🇴🇸🇪🇫🇮🇩🇰
We’ll start by reviewing last week’s geography before exploring these four chilly northern nations. I’ll outline each country on our trivium table maps with different colored dry erase markers to help them stand out.
To make it hands-on and memorable, we’ll play a simple game called “Snowy Scandinavia!” ❄️
Each child will get a small marshmallow to “travel” across their map. As we name each country, the kids will move their marshmallow to the correct spot:
- For Norway, they’ll let their marshmallow slide down the long western coastline.
- For Sweden, they’ll make it hop right next door.
- When we say Finland, they’ll wiggle it beside Russia.
- And for Denmark, they’ll drop it down below the peninsula.
Once we’ve practiced together, we’ll sing our geography song to the tune of “Joy to the World.” 🎶
As we sing, the kids can gently move their marshmallows across each country in rhythm with the tune. See my video below for the song!
English – Indefinite Pronouns
This week we’re learning the last nine indefinite pronouns! We’ll keep using the same cheerful tune, Here We Go Looby Loo, so the kids can continue linking all the pronoun types together in one continuous song.
We will now shake our whole self as we sing each word. This simple rhythm helps the kids stay focused while reinforcing the flow of the song. I’ll introduce the new set slowly at first, then invite everyone to join in with shaking their whole bodies once they’re familiar with the words.
Afterward, we’ll review all the pronouns we’ve learned—from nominative through this week’s indefinite—so the kids can see how each type connects in our growing pronoun song. It’s always fun to hear their voices grow more confident each week!
Here’s the video if you’d like to follow along with the tune and motions:
After practicing together, we’ll sing it a few more times in different ways: quiet voices, loud voices, whisper, etc.
Timeline
The timeline stays the same each cycle, and this week we continue with the next seven cards.
I often use these Timeline Cards in class: Set 1 (Ancient World), Set 2 (Medieval World), Set 3 (New World), and Set 4 (Modern World) I highly recommend investing in them (you should get all four sets) whether you are a tutor or a parent. I consistently use them as a tutor and also at home with my kids.
Since I have the 4-6 year old children, I like to tape the paper letter that the timeline event starts with at the top of the card. I have found these letters at my local Dollar Tree. Some of the children in my class can’t read yet, so this helps them identify the event I’m referring to.
Cycle 2 Week 13 Timeline
Before our class time begins, I put seven pieces of painters tape on the wall where the timeline cards will go.
This week for Timeline, we’re playing a colorful new game called Rainbow Timeline Hunt! 🌈
I’ll tape each of the seven timeline cards on different colors of construction paper and hide them around the room. Each child will get a matching color star sticker, and their mission is to find the timeline card with their color!
Once everyone finds their matching card, we’ll come back together as a group. As we go through the timeline events in order—starting with the Age of Exploration—each child will bring up their card and stick it on the wall in its correct spot.
After all the rainbow cards are up, we’ll stand together in front of the completed timeline and sing this week’s portion of the song while doing the motions. See my tutor video for the tune of this week’s timeline song. We’ll sing it a few times until everyone joins in confidently! 🎶
It’s a bright, active way to help the kids learn the timeline in order and get their wiggles out.
See my video below for the motions and song for this week’s timeline section:
Math
This week in math we’re learning about more liquid equivalents —8 fluid ounces = 1 cup, 2 cups = 1 pint, 2 pints = 1 quart, and 4 quarts = 1 gallon! 🥛
We’ll keep building on last week’s kitchen measurements with our fun song to the tune of “Alice the Camel.” 🎶
As we sing, we’ll add motions to help the kids remember:
- For 8 fluid ounces = 1 cup, we’ll pretend to sip from a cup.
- For 2 cups = 1 pint, we’ll pretend to pour a pint with one hand.
- For 2 pints = 1 quart, we’ll pour a heavier quart using both hands.
- And for 4 quarts = 1 gallon, we’ll act like we’re lifting a heavy gallon jug!
We’ll sing the song a few times through — starting slowly to learn the words and motions, then faster for a fun challenge!
Then we’ll sing the whole song together, including last week’s motions. Everyone will use their left hand to scoop imaginary teaspoons and their right hand to scoop imaginary tablespoons as we sing together.
Math is also a great time to use these fun action cards which you can download for free below!
You can download my UPDATED printable Silly Voice and Action Cards for free by entering your email in the form below and I’ll send them straight to your mailbox!
Silly Voice and Action Cards
History
This week in history we’re learning about some amazing inventions of the Industrial Revolution — Watt’s steam engine, Cartwright’s power loom, and Whitney’s cotton gin!
To make it hands-on, we’ll use a simple Invention Puzzle activity while we listen to the history song (see my tutor video for this week’s tune). I’ll print and cut apart pictures of each invention, mix up the pieces, and give a small set to each child (or pair of children).
As the song plays, they’ll work to put their puzzles together, matching the pieces of each invention:
- ⚙️ Watt’s Steam Engine — helped power factories and trains!
- 🧵 Cartwright’s Power Loom — made it faster to weave fabric.
- 🌿 Whitney’s Cotton Gin — quickly separated cotton fibers from seeds.
Once everyone finishes, we’ll hold up each invention as we sing about it in the song to help the kids connect the names, pictures, and purposes.
It’s a simple and fun way to bring these important inventions to life while strengthening their fine motor skills and memory through play!
Once everyone finishes, they’ll glue their puzzle pieces in the right spots on a piece of paper to complete their invention pictures. Then they can take their project home to show their families what they learned!
It’s a fun and creative way to bring these inventions to life while reinforcing the history song and giving the kids something colorful to keep and remember. You can download the PDF of this puzzle here.
Science
This week in science, we’re learning about the U.S. Space Missions — Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle! 🧑🚀✨
To help the kids remember these in a fun, hands-on way, we’ll do a movement activity called Space Mission Obstacle Course!
Each mission gets its own special movement:
Mercury Hop: hop on one foot along the spot markers spread out on the floor.
Gemini Balance: walk carefully across a “beam” made of painter’s tape.
Apollo Moon Walk: move in slow motion like astronauts on the moon, holding the wall for balance.
Shuttle Launch: crouch down low on the rocket printout, then jump up high like you’re blasting off into space! 🚀
We’ll sing (and play) our science song to the tune of “I Am a Christian” as the kids move through the course. We’ll do it a few times so everyone gets a turn and can start to connect the movements to each mission name.
It’s a fun and active way to help them remember the space missions — while pretending they’re real astronauts on a mission of their own! 🌟
See my video below for this week’s science song.
Latin
This week in Latin we’re learning the first conjugation endings present tense: ō, s, t, mus, tis, and nt. See my tutor video for the tune we sing these to! We’ll practice them with a fun “Echo and Build” game!
I’ll start by saying (or singing) just the first word — “ō” — and the children will echo it back. Then I’ll add one more each time, like this:
“ō.”
“ō, s.”
“ō, s, t.”
“ō, s, t, mus.”
“ō, s, t, mus, tis.”
“ō, s, t, mus, tis, nt.”
Each time we add a new word, the kids echo the entire set back to me. It’s a simple, cumulative way to help them build the full ending pattern step by step while keeping their focus and energy high.
To keep it fun, we’ll switch it up each round — echoing in a quiet voice, a robot voice, a baby voice, or even a marching chant. You can download my silly voice cards for free here!
🚀 Review: Blast Off Review Game!
For this week’s review, we’re playing one of our new favorite games — Blast Off Review! 🌕
This space-themed game is perfect for keeping little ones moving and engaged while reviewing every subject. I divide the class into two teams (Team Comet and Team Meteor) and give each group their own rocket ship printable. On our board, I draw five levels — Ground, Clouds, Stratosphere, Space, and the Moon! — and tape both rockets at the bottom, ready for takeoff.
We take turns answering review questions from all the subjects — timeline, history, science, math, and more. Each time a team answers correctly, their rocket moves up one level closer to the moon! If a team misses a question, the other team gets a chance to “steal the fuel” and move their rocket instead.
Finally, when one team reaches the moon, everyone shouts “BLAST OFF!” and we all pretend to zoom around the room like rockets. 🪐
You can download the rocket ship printable for this game here!
I usually ask review questions on the fly rather than preparing them ahead of time so I can keep things moving and responsive to the kids’ energy. Here are a few examples of the kinds of questions I ask (remember, my class is the youngest group):
- Can you name one of the European explorers we learned about?
- Can you skip count the 4’s?
- Who remembers a part of the sun?
- What are a few pronouns we have learned so far?
Snowball Review Game
You can also play my new Snowball Game! This game is such a simple, low-prep way to bring energy and laughter into review time. Kids love the surprise of flipping over a snowflake card to see whether they’ve earned points or stumbled on a “snowball” that takes points away.
Before community day, I prep by cutting out and laminating a Snowball sign and snowflake cards (you can download these for free). If you don’t want to print anything out, you can simply draw numbers on a whiteboard and stick Post-it notes on top. On the back of each snowflake are numbers ranging from –20 to +20 in increments of 5.
Here’s how it works:
- I split the class into two teams.
- I ask the first child a review question from any subject. If they don’t know the answer, I let their team help.
- Once they answer, they get to pick a snowflake card. If it’s a positive number, their team adds the points to their score. If it’s a “snowball” (a negative number), those points are subtracted!
- The game continues until all cards are gone. The team with the highest (or lowest, if you want to switch it up!) score wins.
Cycle 2 Weeks 1-12 Review Activity Book
If you’re looking for a fun and meaningful way to help your kids review the first half of Cycle 2, my brand new Weeks 1–12 Review Activity Book is the perfect companion! I designed it to help kids review, connect, and celebrate everything they’ve learned so far — from geography and history to science, math, Latin, English, and even the timeline.
Inside, you’ll find 50 engaging activities that make review time interactive and joyful. Each page reinforces memory work while encouraging deeper connections and confidence. Whether you use it during the mid-cycle break or as part of your regular review time, it’s an easy, low-prep way to keep learning fresh and fun.
You can find the Cycle 2 Weeks 1–12 Review Activity Book in my shop below!
Cycle 2 Historyopoly
One of our favorite ways to review history is with Cycle 2 Historyopoly, a brand new game I created this year.
It is modeled after Monopoly but uses all of the Cycle 2 history sentences. The kids love rolling dice, moving around the board, and reviewing history facts as we play. It turns review into something exciting and fresh, and we will definitely be pulling it out again many more times this year. You can grab this NEW game below!
Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book
If you’re looking for a fun way to review the memory work at home with your kids this year, check out our NEW Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book. I created this notebook to give kids a fun way to practice their memory work, without adding extra prep for mom, dad, or grandma.
Inside, there’s one short activity for each subject for all 24 weeks of Cycle 2. When we do geography on Monday, they do the geography activity for that week. When we get to Thursday, they do the science page. It’s so easy to match to whatever we’re focusing on that day.
I love that it keeps things simple and fun. It’s NOW available in digital and printed form, and there is a sample page you can take a peek at if you would like too! Check it out below!
NEW Cycle 2 History and Science Placemats
These brand-new Cycle 2 History and Science Placemats are designed to make memory work fun and interactive for kids, whether you’re using them alongside Classical Conversations or on their own as a way to dive deeper into history and science.
Each placemat is filled with colorful visuals and simple explanations that bring the topics to life. Just print, laminate, and use them again and again during meals and review time. They’re an easy, no-prep way to dive deeper into the history and science topics with your kids. Get your set for Weeks 13-18 below. The first two quarters (weeks 1-12) are also available HERE! Future weeks will be available soon!
Cycle 2 Pronoun Memory Cards
These Pronoun Memory Cards cover all 75 pronouns from Cycle 2, Weeks 4–13 and can be used in three different games. Each card includes a sentence, a colorful image, and the pronoun type, making it easy for kids to connect meaning with usage.
You can sort them by pronoun type, play a classic memory match, or try the fill-in-the-blank version for an extra challenge. My kids loved playing, and it gave them tons of practice without it feeling like drill. This set has quickly become one of our favorite go-to grammar review tools!
Cycle 2 Geography Passport
We also have a fun addition for geography review — the Cycle 2 Geography Passport! Whether you’re a tutor or a homeschool parent, this printable resource helps kids track their Classical Conversations Cycle 2 geography week by week with full-color maps and matching cut-and-glue stamps.
Each page highlights that week’s memory work with clearly labeled locations, making it easy for young learners to connect what they’re memorizing with what they see on the map. Kids love collecting stamps as they “travel” through the world. You can also print these stamps on these sticky circular labels which makes it even more fun!
You can use the Geography Passport at home with your own children, or print it out for use in class. A group license option is available if you’d like to use it with your tutoring class or community group.
It pairs perfectly with the Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book, giving your students or children a hands-on, engaging way to practice their memory work all year long. If you’d like both resources, be sure to check out the bundle option available in my shop!
Memory Work Wonderland
Another one of our favorite ways to review is with fun, themed board games. I created a set of Candyland-style games that make memory work review exciting and interactive for kids. These games can be used with any cycle and are a great way to practice all of the memory work subjects together.
We’ve been playing Memory Work Wonderland, a Christmas/winter-themed review game (since it is Christmastime!). It works just like Candyland, but with the addition of memory work review built in. Players move along the board by drawing cards with color blocks or picture spaces. Then they answer a review question that matches the space they land on. Correct answers let them stay put, but if they miss, they move back. The game also includes fun twists with slides and ladders to keep things lively. The first player to reach the cozy Christmas cabin wins!
The best part is that I now have a fall version, a winter version, and a spring version, so you can rotate them throughout the school year. You can grab each one individually, or get the seasonal bundle with all three at a special price.
These games have been such a hit in our home. They are perfect for community review days, family game nights, or just a fun way to end your homeschool week. You can find them all in my shop below.
Printable and Editable Cycle 2 Week 13 Tutor Plans
Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 2 Week 13 Tutor Plans. Here is a blank template too! If you want the plans as they are, here is a PDF version (filled out) and a PDF version (blank).
Cycle 2 Week 13 Memory Work Games
Also check out the FREE activities and games that you can use at home to help your kids practice the memory work this week.
I hope this helps give you some ideas and songs to use whether you are a tutor or a parent. Please comment below if you have any questions about anything.
Blessings to you on this homeschooling journey!
