Thursday, October 25, 2012

10 Favorite Television Series to Watch with Kids

We canceled cable in the spring.  Best thing we ever did.  Neither Jason nor I are big TV people and we kept restricting the girls "screen time" so much that it suddenly dawned on us to just cancel cable altogether.  We kept our Netflix account and we have been VERY happy with that.  I thought we would get cable back for football season, but Jason went out and got an antenna that works great and we are able to get all of the Philly and New York games!

1.  The Christy Series - This televisions series was based on the Catherine Marshall novel.  Christy is a well-off girl from a North Carolina city who goes to the backwoods of North Carolina to teach in an impoverished area.  This is one of my favorite shows ever--the grit and determination of the people faced with such hardships and the emphasis on what is truly important in life.  I love it and I love the message it sends to my girls.
Image from: DVDTalk

2.  Sarah Plain & Tall - based on the novel by Patricia McLachlan, starrring Glen Close.  If you are not familiar with the novels, a widowed Mid-western farmer sends for a mail-order bride to take care of his two young children.  Sarah is from New England and rather well-to-do, she took care of family members since she was young, which left little time for courting, but really wants to be married and have a family of her own.  Such a great story, again lots of grit and determination and good, solid messages.

3.  Little House on the Prairie - I am a HUGE fan of anything Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I loved this show as a kid and I LOVE sharing it with my girls...values, grit, integrity...what REALLY matters...great life lessons!

4.  The Waltons - a Depression era story set in the hills of Virginia, a large family and their honest values and morals.  They don't make shows like this anymore.

5.  Anne of Green Gables - are you sensing a trend?  I really like historical stuff and shows based on books.  Poor orphan Anne goes to Prince Edward Island to live with her eccentric aunt and uncle after her parents die.
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6.  Family Ties - ok, so a departure from books and history...but again, good solid family values.  A lesson is learned in almost every show.

7.  The Brady Bunch - I have been a fan forever...I could not make a list without including it.  In college, we played Brady Trivia until late in the night...do you remember the one where Bobby & Cindy tried to beat the record for being on a seesaw?  What about when Peter (swoon!) saved the little girl in the toy store?  Remember the one where the parents wanted to sell the house and the kids made it seem haunted?  or when Alice gets locked in the freezer at Sam's butcher shop?

8.  The Partridge Family - Everybody, come on get happy....  Sometimes when we play Rock Band, we fantasize about buying a big bus and traveling around singing.

9.  Downton Abbey - This is more for older kids.  Allie is as addicted as Jason and I are.  I do think there is some historical substance to this show, it shows how both royalty and the working class lived in turn of the century England.
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10.  My So-Called Life - again, for older kids.  Allie and I watch this show together and discuss it.  I am a HUGE Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick fan and own all of their programs on DVD.  This show is definitely somewhat dated for about twenty years ago...but the topics are still relevant and it gives Allie a glimpse into what my teen years were like.  yes, I was an angsty one ;-)