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BLACK CULTURE, HOMESCHOOLING, TRAVEL (AND OTHER THINGS FROM MY SWEET, IMPERFECT LIFE)
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I’m Amber
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My name is Amber O’Neal Johnston, and I started this website to document and discuss the joys and trials of raising my kids to love themselves and others.
The Latest Posts
Worldschooling in Ghana: Part 1
For the first two weeks of our time worldschooling in Ghana, we participated in a cultural immersion program that gave us a wonderful introduction...
Nina Simone and Christian Robinson
Earlier this week, I was chatting with a friend about the inspiration behind our children's names. It reminded me of how much thought went into...
Worldschooling in Paris
After spending a little time in London, we headed to France for some worldschooling in Paris. This has been a #1 destination for our family for a...
Fostering a Healthy Literary Life
Though I speak and write about many other things, books have always been one of my core passions in this space. I decided early on to raise my...
Worldschooling in London
Before heading to Accra, Ghana to settle in for an extended stay, we decided to detour to Europe for a little worldschooling in London. The city is...
Picture Books About Refugees, Aslyum-Seekers, and Migrants
As part of my lesson plan research, I ran across several children’s books highlighting stories of people who are refugees, asylum-seekers, and...
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Chapter Books: Black Girls Just Being Kids
I recently received a comment asking for chapter book recommendations for a book club of girls in 2nd-5th grade. The mom said that what she wants...
To Read Aloud, or Not Read Aloud, That Is the Question
"Amber, you seem to have plans to read several of these African American early modern history books aloud. Aren't your older kids supposed to be...
African & African American Resources for Early Modern History (800-1650 AD)
Finding Black history resources for Early Modern History* (800 -1650 AD, Middle Ages Medieval time period) has not been easy. In fact, it's been the...
Video: A Black Homeschooling Mom’s Response to Harvard’s Elizabeth Bartholet
I've been watching from the sidelines trying to get my thoughts together on Elizabeth Bartholet's call for a presumptive ban on homeschooling, but...
African and African-American Culture: Early Elementary Books
When I recently shared my Black history lesson plans for our 20th century studies, I included a list of picture books that I'm using for my 1b (Year...
Infusing Black History into a Traditional Charlotte Mason Homeschool
There is no way to honestly and thoroughly study United States history without including black history, and I think most home educators would agree...
Worldschooling in Athens, Greece
We just started and came to the end of what was supposed to be a 3-month worldschooling trip across Europe. Athens, Greece was our first stop, but...
The Unraveling of Our Worldschooling Trip
When we first started planning our 3-month European worldschooling adventure, I thought of the many things that could go wrong, and how I would...
Exposing Kids to Art, History, and Culture Without Tears
When I talk about some of the places I plan to take my kiddos while traveling internationally this spring, one of the questions that pops up is,...
African American Historical Fiction
I try to set high standards for the books I offer up to my children. Certainly, I want them to read the very best literature and hear ideas from the...
Worldschooling in Europe
Today is Day 1 of our next Worldschooling trip. We’ll be traveling around Europe for three months while studying local customs, food, language,...
Sharing My Homeschooling Journey With Others
I just jumped back into the saddle after taking a break from writing for much of this school year. But while you haven't heard much from me here,...
African American Folk Songs: Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (1895-1987), best known for her timeless song "Freight Train," built her musical legacy on a firm foundation of late 19th-...
African American Composer Study: Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. He achieved fame for his ragtime compositions and was...
African American Poetry: Effie Lee Newsome
Effie Lee Newsome was one of the first African American poets who primarily published poems for children. She was the author of one volume of...
Cultivating Relationships With Living Authors
As I was writing this post, I kept stumbling on the title because "living" has an alternate meaning in the CM world. So let me start by saying that...