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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
20th-Century Black History Books
These 20th-Century Black History Books cover a period of history during which segregation tightened and racial oppression escalated across the...
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...
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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...