In 2002 PBS began airing a fabulous historical fiction animated series called Liberty's Kids. My children, the oldest of whom were younger then than my youngest is now, and I really enjoyed it. Now, it's available to watch in many ways. Youtube has LibertysKidsTV, and there are other sites that air it for free also. But Amazon has the entire series on DVD for just $5, and that's my favorite option because then I own it and don't have to worry about links coming and going or buffering, etc., and we can watch it without an internet connection.
The purpose of the series is to teach the origins of the United States. It is very true to the people, places, and events of the American Revolution, with accuracy and detail. It champions liberty and courage. It also is captivating; my kids, ages 9 to 18, like watching it and they remember what they see.
The only thing that constitutes fiction in this series are the characters who make up the kids of Liberty's Kids. But these characters constitute the other valuable part of the series, which is to demonstrate good journalism and the importance of freedom of speech, and freedom of the press; these fictional youth write for Benjamin Franklin's The Pennsylvania Gazette and this allows them to meet the people and observe the events of the Revolution. The series also champions truth.
Back when we watched this on PBS, we enjoyed all the games and side trivia that took the place of commercials during the programming. The DVDs do not have these, but you can find and enjoy them all on the Liberty's Kids website.
This series is so good, every home should own it and watch it. And at such an affordable price--it's almost free!--there's no excuse not to. It explores all the ideas and sides and hard questions people faced then (and now) and it encourages people to observe, seek truth, and make their own choices.
We have totally loved this series! We paid a whole lot more for it but it is SO worth it! I think it's time to pull it out again.
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