Cycle 2 Week 2 Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling

We are settling into the rhythm of a new cycle, and Week 2 is already here. I am enjoying being back in class with my sweet Abecedarians. Whether you are tutoring or just looking for fun ways to reinforce the memory work at home, here is a peek at what I am planning for Cycle 2 Week 2.

As always, I keep our activities simple, engaging, and full of movement, which is perfect for our youngest learners. Here is what I have planned for Week 2, organized by subject.

Please note, I am not affiliated with any Classical education organization; these are simply my own ideas and suggestions based on my experience as a tutor. I hope they inspire and support you as you plan for Cycle 2, Week 2.

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 2 Tutor and Memory Work Ideas

Geography – European Waters

Young children thrive when they know what to expect, so I like to begin class with Geography each week. Starting with something familiar helps my sweet Abecedarians settle in and feel confident. I usually follow a similar routine each week, but I’m always watching their energy and focus and adjust as needed.

This week we are learning about European waters, and our goal is to find and name five seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Adriatic Sea, English Channel, and Mediterranean Sea.

Each child gets a laminated trivium table map, which our director provides through the Classical Conversations bookstore. I prepare these maps ahead of time by outlining the seas with different colors using dry erase markers.

Before introducing the new material, we take a few minutes to review the continents and oceans from last week and sing our Continents and Oceans song to the tune of Yankee Doodle. (If you want to use it, I shared a video of it last week: Cycle 2 Week 1 Geography Song).

Then I pass out homemade goldfish crackers to each of the children! I like to make these with freshly milled flour, real butter, raw cheese, a little salt, and some spices. They’re a much healthier alternative to store-bought snacks and a fun way for the kids to explore the European waters before enjoying them as a treat. (Make sure you check with parents about any allergies before offering the kids in your group any kind of food!)

Now it’s time for a little storytime adventure. I tell the children the tale of Goldie the Goldfish, and they use their laminated maps to help her travel from sea to sea:

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🐟 Goldie the Explorer

“This is Goldie, a curious little goldfish who dreamed of exploring the big blue world beyond her fishbowl. One day, a kind traveler scooped her up, placed her in a magical bowl full of seawater, and took her on an adventure!”

1. First stop: The Baltic Sea
   “Goldie first swam into the peaceful Baltic Sea.
   The water was calm and still like a big silver mirror.
   Goldie twirled in the waves and met a shy jellyfish.
   Can you help her find the GREEN Baltic Sea?”
   Kids move their fish to the Baltic Sea.

2. Next: The North Sea
   “Next, Goldie made her way into the North Sea.
   The waters were chilly, but she loved the bobbing boats and tall lighthouses.
   Can you help Goldie find the BLUE North Sea on your map?
   Place her there and give her a wave hello!”
   Kids move their fish to the North Sea.

3. Then through the English Channel…
   “Goldie bravely wiggled into the busy English Channel.
   Ships sailed past and seagulls flew overhead.
   She saw both England and France from her little bowl!
   Find the RED English Channel and help Goldie keep swimming!”
   Kids move their fish to the English Channel.

4. To the Adriatic Sea she went
   “Goldie navigated through some rivers and found herself in the warm, sparkly Adriatic Sea.
   She danced by Italy and Croatia and made friends with a dolphin.
   Can you show her the way to the PURPLE Adriatic Sea?”
   Kids find the Adriatic Sea together.

5. Final stop: The Mediterranean Sea
   “Goldie reached the big, beautiful ORANGE Mediterranean Sea.
   It was full of color, sunshine, and coral reefs.
   She saw islands, boats, and bright fish swimming everywhere.
   Help her swim there for her last stop!”
   Kids move their fish to the Mediterranean Sea.

“Goldie had the adventure of a lifetime.
Now she is back home, but she will never forget all the places she swam through.
Can you remember them with me?”

Together I have the kids repeat with me:
North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea, English Channel

To finish, I teach a short review song to the tune of Father Abraham that helps the kids remember the seas. We sing it together a few times while pointing to the seas on our maps. See my video below:

This activity is always a hit, and the children are so excited to eat their fish afterwards.

English – A Pronoun

This week, our English memory work introduces the definition of a pronoun: A pronoun replaces a noun in order to avoid repetition.

This is a new grammar concept for many of our little learners, but it becomes much easier to understand and remember when we set it to music and add some playful repetition.

After we say the sentence together a few times, I teach them a simple song to the tune of Yankee Doodle. Singing the definition helps the children hear the rhythm and phrasing, and we repeat it a few times together while adding fun hand motions. You can watch and use the song below:

Then it’s time to pull out the Silly Voice Cards again! These are a favorite in my class. Each child chooses a card with a silly voice prompt—like pirate, baby, robot, whisper, or opera singer—and we take turns saying or singing the pronoun definition using that voice. They absolutely love this part! It turns simple repetition into a fun and laughter-filled experience.

I’ve found that using these silly voices really helps the memory work stick. Even shy students usually warm up when they hear everyone else being silly too.

This is also an easy and fun activity to try at home throughout the week. Let your child draw a silly voice card during snack time, car rides, or while brushing teeth, and say the memory work in that voice. They might even come up with their own new voices to add!

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

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.

Before our class time begins, I put seven pieces of painters tape on the wall and I hide the cards around the room. I try to pick spots that aren’t too difficult to find, but also not too easy. Then when it’s time to start Timeline, I tell the children to look around the room and see if they can find 1 or 2 cards (depending on how many children are in my group), and to bring them back to their seats.

I sing this week’s part of the timeline song as the children are looking for the cards. I sing it myself instead of playing the music so I can control the speed of the song. See my tutor video for the tune of this week’s timeline song.

Then I have everyone sit in a circle on the floor with the cards they found. I tell the kids to lay the cards FACE UP on the floor in the center of the circle.

I say this week’s first timeline event, “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,” and I ask, “what letter does “seven” start with?”

A child answers, “It starts with the letter “S.”

I say, “Correct! Who sees a card with the letter “S” on it?”

We find the card and go over the hand motion for that event. I put it back down on the floor and then pick the next card, until we have gone over all the hand motions.

Then I spread out the cards so everyone can see all of them. The kids close their eyes and I turn one of the cards over. I tell the kids to open their eyes and guess which card I turned over. Then we all practice the hand motion for that card. Repeat for the remainder of the cards. See my video below which includes the hand motions for this week in the timeline section:

Math

This week in math, we focus on skip counting by 3s and 4s. We start with the 3s and sing normally. See my tutor video for the tune we sing. Then I hand out action cards (get these for free HERE) to each child and we all do the fun action while singing the song together. We repeat this for the 4’s with different action cards.

History

This week’s history sentence covers the church splitting into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, and William the Conqueror defeating King Harold of England in 1066.

We’ll make this memorable with a fun activity that brings the church split to life in a way that little ones can really grasp. I give each child a simple church drawing printed on a sheet of paper. Then, we sing the history sentence together (see my tutor video for this tune.) Each time they hear the words “church split,” the children get to tear their paper.

The first time, they rip their paper in half. The next time they hear “church split,” they can rip one of the halves again—and so on. They love waiting for the cue and get very focused on listening carefully. We repeat this several times, and by the end, they’ll have a pile of paper pieces and a very clear memory of the phrase!

Science

This week’s science sentence introduces seven biomes: grassland, desert, scrubland, tundra, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, and tropical rainforest.

To help the children understand and remember each biome, we’ll use music, movement, and a fun spinner game to keep things engaging.

We’ll start by singing the science sentence to the tune of Jesus Loves Me. You can find my video for this week’s tune below:

We’ll sing the sentence slowly a few times and I’ll teach the children simple motions for each biome to help reinforce what they’re learning:

• Grassland – Sway your arms like tall grass in the wind
• Desert – Wipe your forehead and say “Phew!” like it’s hot
• Scrubland – Pop your fingers up like little bushes growing
• Tundra – Hug yourself and shiver like you’re cold
• Deciduous Forest – Wiggle fingers downward like falling leaves
• Coniferous Forest – Make a tall triangle over your head like a pine tree
• Tropical Rainforest – Wiggle fingers while raising arms up to show rain falling through thick trees

Next, we play our Biome Spinner Game! I created a simple spinner with pictures of each biome around the circle. You can make one at home by printing or drawing pictures and attaching a paperclip with a brad fastener in the center.

Each child takes a turn spinning. When the spinner lands on a biome, we:

1. Say its name together
2. Do the matching motion
3. Sing the science sentence again, this time with extra emphasis on the selected biome

The spinner adds anticipation and excitement to the review. The children stay engaged, and the repeated singing and movement help the memory work stick.

This is also a great activity to use at home during your weekly review time!

Latin

Our Latin memory work this week focuses again on the first conjugation verb endings in the present tense:
-ō, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt

We start by reviewing the song together. Since we sang it last week, the kids should remember it pretty quickly.

After singing a few rounds, I give each child a finger puppet. I have the children sing several more times doing the following with their finger puppetS:

• sing EXCITED, sing SAD
• sing TO their puppet
• sing LOUDLY, sing QUIETLY

For review time this week, we play Four Corners! The children split up and go to different corners of the room. Each corner is labeled with a number 1-4. I roll my big die and if it lands on a 1-4, I choose a child from the corresponding corner and ask them a review question. I let the other kids from that corner help if the child doesn’t know. Or you could let all the kids from the corner work together to answer from the beginning.

If I roll a 5, then any child gets to ask me (the tutor) a question! If I roll a 6, I get to choose any child to answer.

Our NEW 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!

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 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!

Printable and Editable Cycle 2 Week 2 Tutor Plans

Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 2 Week 2 Tutor Plans. Here is a blank template too!

Cycle 2 Week 2 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!