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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
Black Verse Novels for Young People
I adore poetry, and in recent years, I've clung to Black verse novels for myself, my children, and the kiddos in my book club. Narrative poetry is...
HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience
Attending an HBCU changed my life, and the new book HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience reminded me of how profound the...
Why Race Matters in Children’s Literature
If I had a dollar for every time someone tells me that race shouldn’t matter when it comes to choosing children’s books, I’d be writing this post...
Historic Home Field Trips: Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill
I love taking historic home field trips with my family. Scroll to the end to check out the article I wrote for Simple Homeschool to learn more about...
Picture Books Aren’t Just for Little Kids
Picture books aren't just for little kids. Some of the best books my family has read are illustrated children’s books intended for a young audience...
Book Club Notes: Nic Blake and the Remarkables
My Tweeners book club (4th and 5th grade boys and girls) recently read Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas, and everyone loved it. The...
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Morning Time Plans (1900s)
These morning time plans cover the subjects and activities that we'll do together as a family. Some things are done daily; others are one to three...
Black American Fiction (1900s)
Most of the titles in this booklist of Black American fiction are truly historical fiction, taking readers to a past time and place. However, a...
Topical Nonfiction Black History Books (1900s)
I rely heavily on topical nonfiction Black history books in our school lessons. As mentioned in my post on Infusing Black History into a Traditional...
African American Biographies & Memoirs (1900s)
African American biographies and memoirs are critical components of our history lessons. In my book A PLACE TO BELONG, I write, "Biographies help us...
Black History Children’s Books (1900s)
Black history children's books covering some of the major people and events of the 20th century are a superb addition to modern history lessons. I...
Promoting Division in the Homeschooling World
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be hunted? To have people sniffing around, salivating, waiting for you to say or do something “wrong” so...
Why Our Worldschooling Trip Ended Early
After our previous worldschooling trip unraveled, my family was ecstatic about the opportunity to head out on the road for a redemptive adventure....
African History Picture Books
Finding African history picture books has not been easy. It's difficult to find age-appropriate literature that teaches my children about African...
Worldschooling in Ghana: Part 2
While worldschooling in Accra, Ghana, we participated in a wonderful cultural immersion program. After that ended, we moved into different...
Books About Ghana for Kids
In the months and weeks leading up to our trip, I sprinkled in books about Ghana throughout our learning time. We tried to soak up what we could...
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...