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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
Book Club Notes: Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World
I lead a book club for boys ages 8-10 in our local homeschool support group, and we recently read Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by...
Finding Good Books on Biblioguides
People often ask me where I find the books that I read with my kids, and the best answer is "here, there, and everywhere," but I do have a few...
Juneteenth Books for Kids
I'm totally pumped about Juneteenth National Independence Day because our favorite community event is back in person after two years of virtual...
A Place to Belong is Here!
I'm so excited to announce that my book, A PLACE TO BELONG, has officially launched! Many thanks to all of you who preordered, those who have...
Join My Book Launch Team!
I’ve got some exciting news: It’s almost time for my first book to be published! It’s called A Place to Belong: Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in...
Middle Grade Books: Black Boys and Everyday Life
I've been promising this booklist for longer than I care to admit. As soon as I shared 20 Middle Grade Books: Black Girls Living Life, I started...
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How to Handle Language Barriers When Traveling Abroad With Children
I can speak some Spanish, but I don't truly speak Spanish. I'm painfully reminded of my inferior language abilities daily in Bolivia, and I'd...
Simple Gifts: Plain Living Overseas
One of the songs my children learned in our homeschool this fall is the Shaker classic Simple Gifts. While the original meaning of the song seems to...
Why Living Books Are Not Enough for Black Children
Any parent who is striving to spread the full Charlotte Mason feast at their homeschool table will wax poetic on the benefits of using "living...
Video: Our Worldschooling Home in La Paz, Bolivia
A good friend of mine suggested that I give a little sneak peek into the Bolivian house we're residing in during our time in La Paz, and...
Housework, Laundry, and Sister Wives
Despite the fact that I watched a few episodes of the show Sister Wives a decade ago, I never thought I’d be in the position to even remotely...
How We’re Celebrating Christmas While Living Abroad
For us, Christmas is always a time of traditions and togetherness, but being out of the country for the holidays challenges the status quo in both...
How Anxiety Threatens My International Travel
Living out the dream of international slow travel with my children is amazing, but the excitement of our adventure is constantly threatened by my...
Weekly Roundup: Worldschooling Q&A
I receive a lot of questions from friends, family, and even strangers about how we're doing and what we're learning while in Bolivia. I try to...
Play is a Universal Language
I once read that smiling is a universal language. After watching my kids interact with local children in Peru and now Bolivia, I would say that play...
Weekly Roundup: Worldschooling Q&A (Kid Edition)
This week's questions were answered by my 8 year old daughter. What was the best or most delightful part? We went to a Christmas party [holiday...
Using Technology While Homeschooling Abroad
Before this trip, I was much more analog than digital in my approach to homeschooling. I love cracking open the pages of a real book, and I...
Christmas Shopping While Worldschooling
I love reading gift guides during the Christmas season. I rarely buy from any of them, but I get a kick out of seeing the creative ideas, new...
How Much Does Worldschooling Really Cost?
I'm not saying that they aren't out there, but I have yet to come across someone who will just flat out say how much their Worldschooling trips...
Control, Patience and Handicrafts
Surprisingly, some of our days in La Paz are just as delightfully mundane as they are at home in Atlanta. Today was one of those days when we didn't...
Feeding Young Kids in a Foreign Country
People pay me to tell them what to eat. Companies bring me in to speak to their employees on healthy eating at home, at work, and on the road. I...
Birthdays Away From Home
Today is Thanksgiving in America, but it's just a random Thursday in Bolivia. I tried to explain the holiday in Spanish to a woman we met, and I got...