Cycle 2 Week 6 At Home Activities for Classical Homeschooling
By Cycle 2 Week 6, our days feel both familiar and full of discovery. The rhythm we have built gives the kids confidence, and I love seeing their eagerness, whether it is pointing out something they remembered from last week, singing along with a new song, or sharing their work with pride.
Every week still brings fresh challenges and joys, but the steady routine makes it all come together. It is a blessing to learn side by side, watching their curiosity and excitement deepen day by day.
Cycle 2 Week 5 Recap
By Week 5 our homeschool rhythm felt natural, and the kids were excited to take more ownership. We studied God’s covenant with David in Bible time, practiced our fifth Family Way with songs and Scripture, and enjoyed hymns together. Geography highlighted Europe’s major cities with a fun song, our Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Books, our Geography Passports, and placing the countries on our big felt map.
History centered on Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years’ War with our history placemat, paper dolls, and a fun picture book. Science was all about the water, carbon/oxygen, and nitrogen cycles, which we reinforced with a fun Cycles of Nature game, a color by number activity from our Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity books, our science placemat, and adaptation cards. We wrapped up the week with math, Latin, and English memory work, plus review games like our new Pronoun Memory Cards and Memory Work Kingdom. Read more about what we did at home during Cycle 2 Week 5 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 each week 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 2 Week 6. Visit my channel for tutor ideas for many other weeks and other videos with homeschooling tips and encouragement.
Morning Devotional Time
We always begin our mornings together around the breakfast table. This is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling life. There is no rush to get out the door. We can take our time to read and talk 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.
Bible Study: Lesson 6 (First Jewish Temple)
This week we started Lesson 6 about the First Jewish Temple from the Foundations of the Bible study by Driven by Grace. We read about all about David in the The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible. The beautiful pictures and faithful retelling help my kids connect with what they are hearing. My daughters also enjoyed coloring the corresponding activity page from the Foundations of the Bible Activity Book, also from Driven by Grace. We have also been enjoying listening to the David memory work song from Driven by Grace. Her songs are really catchy and have helped us remember this Bible memory work.
If you would like to know more about our full morning devotional routine, you can read my post about it here.
Also, here are the Bible stories we read from The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible (TCICB) that went along with the Foundations of the Bible Study Lesson 6 about the First Jewish Temple.
| Day of the Week | Bible Passage | Story Title | Page in TCICB |
| Monday | 1 Kings 1:28-31 | David Makes Way for Solomon | pgs. 188-189 |
| Wednesday | 1 Kings 3:9-14 | God Speaks to Solomon | pgs. 190-191 |
| Thursday | 1 Kings 3:28 | The Wisdom of Solomon | pgs. 192-193 |
| Friday | 1 Kings 5:1-5 | Building the Temple | pgs. 194-195 |
The 24 Family Ways
We also learned our fourth Family Way from The 24 Family Ways by Sally and Clay Clarkson. We began memorizing the Bible verse that goes with it, Matthew 7:12. I write both the Family Way and the Bible verse on chalk boards that hang near our kitchen table so we can see them often.
While I read, my girls colored the corresponding page from their 24 Family Ways coloring books.
After reading, I played two songs for them. One was our Bible memory work song about David (from @drivenbygrace), and the other was a song to help us remember the Bible verse. I have found songs that match with each Bible verse and Family Way, and we use them often. Most of the songs I use are from Steve Green’s CDs. Songs are such a powerful tool for helping children memorize Scripture. You can download my matchup of the 24 Family Ways with Bible verses and songs from my Resource Library.
We always end our devotional time with prayer and singing a few hymns from this gem of a book called My First Hymnal by Karyn Henley.
Math and Language Arts
After devotional time, we moved into our daily math work. I’m continuing to use The Good and The Beautiful for math, and it’s been such a good fit for us. My oldest is working through Level 1, and my 4-year-old is doing their Preschool curriculum, which I’ll explain more below.
Read here why I decided to switch from Saxon math to The Good and The Beautiful (TGATB). I like doing math right after devotional time because everyone is fresh, and it’s easier to be consistent this way.
This year we are starting to do more focused language arts with my oldest, and it has been such a joy. We are using The Good and The Beautiful Level 1 Language Arts and Literature curriculum, and we have been loving it so far.
The curriculum covers everything she needs at this stage—phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, writing, and handwriting—all in one open-and-go program. The lessons are beautifully illustrated and very engaging, which keeps her interested from start to finish. Each lesson takes us about 30 minutes a day, which is the perfect length for her attention span right now.
I also picked up some of the readers that go along with the program, and she has really enjoyed them. They give her extra practice with reading and help her gain confidence as she sees herself making progress. I am so encouraged to see her excitement grow as she realizes how much she is learning.
Preschool with my 4-year old
With my 4-year-old, I am keeping things very simple. She is working through The Good and The Beautiful Preschool Curriculum along with a Handwriting Without Tears book, and that combination has been perfect for her.
I don’t believe children at this age need to be doing formal bookwork yet. I think play, stories, and being part of family life are the most important. But I like having these gentle resources because she often wants to do what her older sister is doing. Having her own activities gives her a sense of ownership and keeps her engaged.
We even call this her “math,” and she beams with pride when she sits down with her workbook. It is such a sweet way for her to join in without adding pressure, and it gives us a fun rhythm we can enjoy together.
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. I either record myself singing or download the CC songs to the Voice Memos app on my phone. Then I make a weekly playlist of all the memory work songs. That way, I can just plug my phone into my car when we drive and we can listen to them! See my playlist of Cycle 2 Week 6 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 focused on some European Mountains: Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus, Ural, and Matterhorn.
My 6-year-old especially loved the activity in her Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book. She read the short descriptions for each mountain range, which helped her connect the names to their locations on the map. Then she shaded each one in with the correct color. The combination of reading, mapping, and coloring really made the mountains “stick” for her.
We learned a song to help us remember these cities to the tune Go Tell it on the Mountain which we enjoyed singing several times.
The girls were also thrilled to add new mountain stamps to their Cycle 2 Geography Passports once they could name each range with confidence. These passports continue to be one of their favorite parts of geography time and make learning feel like an adventure. I recently figured out how to fit the stamps onto sticky circular labels, which makes stamping even easier and more fun!
We also added Hungary as our featured European country in their European Countries Workbooks. My oldest loved finding it on our large felt Europe map.
Then, for review, I took all of the felt countries we’ve learned so far off the map, and she worked on putting them back in the correct spots. Download paper maps of Europe with all the countries labeled here!
My girls love taking the European countries off and on of our large felt Europe map as we learn their names and locations. Download paper maps of Europe with all the countries labeled here!
I have the patterns for all the European countries, as well as a tutorial about how to make this kind of map in my 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 European countries!
European Songs Tonie
Alongside our mapwork, my daughter has been listening to her European Children’s Songs Tonie on her Toniebox. It has become a sweet background to our school days and has helped her soak in even more about European culture and music. Geography truly continues to be a highlight of our week.
Drawing Europe
My daughter is absolutely loving Draw Europe by Kristin J. Draeger! My 6-year-old has had so much fun following the step-by-step lessons and filling in her own map of Europe. This week she proudly added a few more countries!
This book has been such a wonderful addition to our geography time. It gives her a sense of ownership and confidence as she learns to build Europe piece by piece. She is always so proud to show me her progress, and it’s been amazing to watch her excitement grow as she realizes she is learning to draw the continent herself.
History
This week in history we studied the Renaissance. My daughter enjoyed singing the history song as she worked through the activity in her Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book, where she matched each Renaissance figure with what he was known for.
We also took time to dig a little deeper into each person’s contribution to history, using our history placemat as a guide and continuing our reading in The Story of the World, Volume 2 . These extra layers really helped bring the names in the history sentence to life.
I’ve been using the helpful matchup from Driven by Grace, which shows exactly which pages in the Story of the World book line up with each week of Cycle 2. It makes it easy to connect what we’re learning in Foundations with our read-aloud time at home.
To add even more richness, we checked out several picture books from the library about Renaissance figures. These stories gave us a closer look at the lives of the people we were learning about, and they sparked some great conversations at the table. Make sure you check out the entire Cycle 2 booklist I made for this year. I have amazing picture books that relate to the memory work for each week of Cycle 2!
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 7-12 below. Weeks 1-6 are also available HERE! Future weeks will be available soon!
Science
This week in science we learned about how animals respond to changes in their environment: by migrating, hibernating, or adapting.
My girls used their science placemat to see examples of which animals do each of these, and they enjoyed coloring the corresponding pages in their Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Books.
We also played a board game that helped us explore more about these survival strategies. The adaptation cards I made for our tutor group added an extra layer of fun and gave us the chance to dive deeper into how different animals live in their biomes. You can grab this survival quest board game at the end of my post for FREE!
To round it out, we read several wonderful picture books about migration and hibernation. We especially loved Migration by Gail Gibbons. I highly recommend checking out the picture books by Gail Gibbons! She does a wonderful job presenting the material and making it informative and engaging for kids. Make sure to check out my entire picture booklist with great book recommendations for each week of Cycle 2!
To top it off, we sang a lively song to the tune of Peace Like a River that helped us memorize these different ways that animals react to environmental change.
Math, Latin, and English Memory Work
On the last day of our week, we focused on the math, Latin, and English memory work. My girls worked on the activities in their Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Books, which gave them fun and simple ways to practice each subject.
We reviewed our math skip counting together and sang both the Latin noun endings and started learning our pronoun song. I love using songs for memory work. They’re fun, easy to prepare, and incredibly powerful for helping kids remember. Plus, once a song is learned, it’s simple to review again later, whether at home, in the car, or during playtime. Here is the pronoun song we are learning to the tune Here We Go Looby Loo. I have a video with the hand motions I’m teaching the kids in my tutor group too.
The memory work activities kept things engaging and gave my 6-year-old and 4-year-old extra practice with writing and tracing. Having dedicated time at the end of the week to pull these subjects together worked really well for us, and it gave a sense of closure before heading into the weekend.
Cycle 2 Pronoun Memory Cards
I also just made these fun Pronoun game cards to play during Cycle 2. 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 love playing, and it gives them tons of practice without it feeling like drill. This set has quickly become one of our favorite go-to grammar review tools! By the way, this is the paper cutter I use all the time and it has worked great for me!
Memory Work Review Games
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 Kingdom, a fall-themed review game (since fall is fast approaching!). 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 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 castle 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.
Planning Our Homeschool Week
Instead of printing out detailed lesson plan templates this year, I have been using my homeschool planner to keep everything organized. It has been such a helpful tool for me as I think through our week.
I use the Cycle 2 memory work pages in the planner to map out how we will practice the memory work together. These pages make it easy to see each subject at a glance and jot down games, songs, or activities that I want to use with my kids. I also use the weekly and daily planning pages to schedule what we will do each day for math, language arts, and reading.
I’ve tried to simplify things this year so I don’t need to spend a lot of time prepping or printing. Having the Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book and my Cycle 2 Picture Book List ready to go means I can sit down and plan the week quickly without extra work.
Another part of the planner that I love is the monthly habit tracker. I use it to write down a few habits I want to focus on each month, like improving my health and being more present with my kids. It’s been a great reminder of the small but meaningful steps I want to take.
This planner has truly helped me stay organized so far this year, and it makes planning feel simple and purposeful instead of overwhelming. Get one for your homeschool year here!
Picture Books for Cycle 2 Week 6
Here are all the picture books we enjoy this week:
- Geography from A to Z by Jack Knowlton
- Mountains and Rivers by Lisa Regan
- Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci by Gene Barretta
- I Am Leonardo da Vinci by Brad Meltzer
- Draw Europe (Draw the World) by Kristin J. Draeger
- Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet by Dennis Brindell Fradin
- Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley
- High? Low? Where Did It Go? All About Animal Camouflage (The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe
- Migration by Gail Gibbons
- Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
- Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows
You can see my ENTIRE Cycle 2 picture book list for each week of Cycle 2 here!
Cycle 2 Week 6 Memory Work Games
Here is the science game I mentioned in this post plus a Latin endings BINGO game that you can play with your kids this week to practice the memory work. You can sign up below to receive these FREE games below.
I hope you are having a great school year so far! Please comment below with any questions or share what’s been working well for your family so far!
