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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
Why Mama Culture Matters
In the hustle and bustle of motherhood, where days often blur into a cycle of tasks, responsibilities, and care for others, it’s easy for mothers to...
Our Back-to-School Getaway
As summer draws to a close and we prepare to dive into a more structured homeschooling season, our annual camping trip has always been our family’s...
Building a Reading List Using a Bibliography
When I connected with Melinda Borda, a fellow homeschooling mom who shares insightful book reviews on Instagram, I was thrilled to learn that she...
Announcing Soul School: Preorder Now for Exclusive Bonuses!
Today, I'm thrilled to give you a sneak peek of my latest book, SOUL SCHOOL: Taking Kids On a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American...
Pierce Freelon: Artist. Author. Dad.
When I think of whose work I want my children to swim in, Pierce Freelon always comes to mind. He's a GRAMMY® nominated artist, picture book author,...
One Big Open Sky: Black Homesteaders
Without hesitation, I'm boldly proclaiming the novel-in-verse One Big Open Sky as one of my top picks for 2024. In this captivating story,...
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Early Chapter Books Featuring Black Girls
I love books about Black history, including biographies and historical fiction. It's important for our children to learn about the past tragedies...
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...