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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
NEW! A Place to Belong Paperbook
I'm thrilled to announce that A Place to Belong is now out in paperback with a gorgeous new cover! The new edition is lighter-weight and more...
Delighting in the Days by Wild+Free
I'm excited to be featured in Delighting in the Days, a new 132-page book of some of Wild+Free's best articles on childhood over the past few years....
Books & Things: Agreeing to Disagree
I’ve made a point not to disparage curricula, books, services, or products that fellow homeschool moms have created for this community. In fact,...
Including #OwnVoices Books
Q: Amber, how do you feel about books featuring Black characters or people written by non-Black authors? My answer: Writer Corinne Duyvis...
7 Benefits of Launching a Kids’ Book Club
When I launched Heritage Book Club nearly seven years ago, I had no idea that it would grow to be such an incredible blessing to my family and...
Stories From Modern Day Africa
For world history and geography studies, I like for my kids to read plenty of stories from modern-day Africa. I've shared picture books and chapter...
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Sign up now and receive my newly expanded Family Bonds book list, a curated collection of stories tied together with the common cord of familial bonds. You’ll also receive occasional emails featuring my latest thoughts, book recommendations, and diverse educational goodies.
Heritage Hymns: Curated Multicultural Hymns
“Heritage Hymns” is a curated collection of multicultural hymnal studies born of my desire to expand the traditional offering of resources for my...
17 Picture Books Featuring Black Artists
My children are drawn to stories of real-life creators fueled by passion, purpose, resilience, and imagination. We read books on all sorts of...
African American Picture Study: Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage (February 29, 1892 – March 27, 1962) was an outstanding sculptor associated with the intellectual and cultural awakening known as the...
Recent Podcasts and Videos: Homeschooling, Worldschooling, and Motherhood
One of the things I love most about my work with Heritage Mom is getting to speak with dynamic women who inspire me with their questions and...
Black History Books Covering Colonial America and Revolutionary War Time Period (1650-1800 AD)
I've heard from many of you who have appreciated my Black history book recommendations for Early Modern (800-1650), 1800s Slavery, Civil War &...
Hallelujah! Booklist: Bible Stories With Images of Black People
My path to including black Biblical images in our home started with a treasured photograph that I keep on my desk. It's an up close picture of me...
Book Club Notes: The Toothpaste Millionaire
I'm excited to share our experience with The Toothpaste Millionaire with you. Each month, I try to share the notes I use while leading a book club...
Soulful Hymns for a Culturally-Rich Hymn Study
I recently wrote about how we approach Charlotte Mason hymn study in our home. One of the things that continues to bring us joy is incorporating a...
Books as Mirrors & Windows With Simply Charlotte Mason
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down to chat about books as mirrors and windows with Sonya Shafer from Simply Charlotte Mason. We had a great...
Book Review: Christmas Gif’ by Charlamae Rollins
I just have so much to say about this book. It is not a typical Christmas book and I mentioned it in African American Christmas Books We Love,...
Hymn Study in a Charlotte Mason Home
One of the hesitations I've heard from some moms who are considering a Charlotte Mason education is the sheer number of subjects being covered. They...
African American Christmas Books We Love
I am not sure whether to break out in a version of "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" or "Deck the Halls" because this list is both: all of our...
Charlotte Mason Handicrafts: Clay Modeling
I had (most of) the equipment ready to go for clay modeling last Friday. Admittedly, I had to google "armature" and decided we were going to be...
Setting the Spark: Podcast Interview
I recently had so much fun speaking to a couple of homeschool mamas from my own neck of the woods. I chatted Lorien Magnus and Destiny Kosarick, the...
Book Club Notes: Ansley’s Big Bake Off
Our local homeschool support group has read a variety of books over the years, and we're always on the hunt for something fun and interesting to...
How I Teach My Kids to Read
One of the questions I often get from new homeschooling moms is, "How did you teach your children to read?" On one hand, I love answering this...