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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
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...
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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...
Podcast: How to Diversify Your Classic Literature Library
"In the past, a lot of focus was put on being "color blind," but now that we know better, we want our children to have "color-full" experiences, and...
Video: “A Homeschool Invitation” Interview
I had a great time chatting with Kerry Ann Todd when she interviewed me for her new Homeschool Invitation series. We talked about the one piece of...
Soul Food: Picture Books About Cooking and Family
To say that food is important to my extended family would be an incredible understatement. Food is the undercurrent of all of our activities and a...
Scheduling My Charlotte Mason Homeschool Day
After posting a picture of my kids' notebooks and independent work checklists on Instagram earlier this week, I received many requests for a...
Redefining the Charlotte Mason “Feast”
Hey there! Can we talk for a minute? We all know that Charlotte Mason uses food as a metaphor for knowledge throughout her volumes, and the...