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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
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...
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The Charlotte Mason Show Podcast – Heritage Matters: How to Incorporate Heritage into Your Own Homeschool Journey
My journey to a culturally-rich homeschooling environment started with a single question: Was I more committed to my ideals or to the little girl...
African American Poetry Books for Children: Selections from Black Poets for Poetry Teatime and Charlotte Mason Poetry Study
Poetry holds a special place in my heart. Admittedly, I was a reluctant lover of verse, but my personal path to poetry has mirrored my entire...
Gladiola Garden: My Most Cherished Volume of Children’s Poetry
When I began to introduce my children to poetry as a daily practice within our homeschool, I was struck by the homogeneity of the sweet images...
Book Club Notes: Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson
Our local homeschool support group runs five age-based book club meetings each month (teens meet weekly), and I lead the Juniors which roughly...
Tween Devotionals and Fun Novels I Can Trust
When my girls were younger, I read everything to them. As they became independent readers, I handed books over for them to read on their own, but...
How to Start a Culturally Rich Book Club
One of the homeschool activities I'm asked about most is our Heritage Book Club. It's an off-shoot of the local support group I run for black...
Breaking the Homeschooling Stereotype (BYU Radio Interview)
I am so pleased with the breadth of people and organizations that are seeking to explore the idea of homeschooling within the Black community. I...
Confronting Prejudice in Catholic Homeschool Curricula
When I was first approached about doing an interview regarding the lack of diversity in homeschool curricula, I was totally on board. I enjoy...
Growing Up Invisible
I am so excited! I've been wanting to collaborate with Erika Alicea for a while now, but we both kept getting wrapped up in other worthy projects...
Book Club Notes: Clubhouse Mysteries by Sharon M. Draper
In 2017, I started a book club for the children in our local homeschool support group outside of Atlanta, GA. Since then, the group has read dozens...
Teaching Colorism: The Power of a Story (Part 2)
Last week, I defined the term and described how colorism personally impacts my family on a regular basis, and I promised a booklist. The feedback...
Homeschooling Through the Coronavirus Pandemic: An Interview With PBS NewsHour
The sudden onslaught of homeschooling families due to the pandemic has shifted the community in positive ways. It has brought heightened awareness...
Teaching Colorism: The Power of a Story (Part 1)
My husband and I are the exact same shade of brown - so much so that we've been mistaken for siblings more times than I can count. We have four...
Podcast: Preparing for Homeschool
I was excited to have the opportunity to chat with Alyssa from Seed & Sew this week! As a guest on her Voices of Your Village podcast, I had the...
Seasons in the Life of a Charlotte Mason Homeschool Mom
Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post from a Charlotte Mason mom with a wealth of experience - both with life and homeschooling. I...
Podcast & Blog: The Promises of Poetry
Poetry was never my thing. I didn't dislike it or despise it. I was simply indifferent. However, despite having neither interest nor nostalgia to...