My Summer Curriculum

Summer Curriculum

Happy first day of summer!

I've continued the tradition of creating a seasonal curriculum for myself, although my extra-large spring homemaking list left little time for extras, and I didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped.

Instead of reporting back after the season has passed (as I normally do), I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of my summer curriculum now. These are the books I plan to read, the music I'll be listening to, the artist whose work I've chosen to study, and the skills I'm hoping to improve.

I also have a summer activity list, but that's more recreational than educational. If you're interested in that sort of thing, look for my next post, where I'll be sharing it.

Maybe somewhere in this post or the next, you'll see something that sparks an idea of your own. Or maybe you'll ask me how it's all going the next time you see me—to help keep me accountable. 😉

Reading

I mentioned in my May reading post that I've been craving a different kind of reading experience lately, and my summer reading list reflects that.

I always have a handful of books on hold at the library, but those tend to be books that have been recommended to me, are usually new releases, and that I'm simply curious to try. Being on my holds list doesn't necessarily mean I'm committed to finishing them.

The books below are different. If I read nothing else this summer, these are the books I hope to complete before the season is over. Here's the list:

Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Poetry: Best-Loved Poems of the American People (second half)

A Month in the Country

A Prayer for Owen Meany

A Walk in the Woods

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (children's book selection)

Beautiful Ruins

Broken Country

Country People

Enormous Wings

Farmer Boy (children's book selection)

Heidi (children's book selection)

Kon-Tiki

Little Men (children's book selection)

My Family and Other Animals

Our Man in Havana (with Close Reads podcast)

Pachinko

The Feast (with Close Reads podcast)

The Great Circle

The Midnight Train

The Neverending Story (children's book selection)

The Paper Palace

The Shell Seekers

The Things We Never Say

The Wind in the Willows (children's book selection)

True Grit

We Were Liars

Yesteryear

Music

One thing I've enjoyed over the past few years is alternating between a classical composer and a modern genre for my seasonal listening. Since I spent the spring immersed in the music of Felix Mendelssohn (which I love, love, LOVED), I decided to go in a completely different direction for summer.

With America celebrating its 250th year, I set out to create the ultimate American playlist: 250 songs that topped our charts, shaped our culture, and helped define our eras. Thanks to a few technical mishaps, the project ended up being far more work than I anticipated, but I'm happy to share it with you now.

For me, the playlist is full of nostalgia, memories, and little snapshots of American life across the decades.

Art Study

The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer (1899)

Keeping with the Americana theme, I'll be spending some time this summer exploring the work of American artists, with a particular focus on Winslow Homer. Having never heard of him before, I'm going into it with completely fresh eyes!

Skill Improvement

I only have two small skills that I am working on this summer—unless learning to stay off the internet counts as a skill. I'm taking a Mexican Cooking Masterclass and practicing until I can make the perfect pie crust. Both pursuits seem likely to improve my quality of life! 

Other Things

In addition to everything here, there are also some recipes I plan to try and crafty projects I'd like to tackle, but I think those are best discussed after I've actually done them. Then I can let you know whether they're worth your time—or whether you should learn from my mistakes instead.

And that's everything I'm hoping to do this summer!

Sarah