I’m a child of the 70s/early 80s. Yes, I know this is showing my age, but it seems like I’m constantly finding myself saying, “Back when I was a kid…”
Back in my day, cartoons and shows seemed to have more of a moral or lesson. Cartoons didn’t seem so pointless and full of mindless dribble. We didn’t have YouTube channels full of gamers playing video games. We didn’t have TikTok with videos of dogs talking, new dance moves, or the constant pranks.
Wow, I sound like my mother! I digress.
In the early/mid-70s, I think some of the best cartoon shorts were released. I remember watching them as a child and the songs were so catchy. Not only were the songs memorable and the cartoons fun, but the lessons taught are still valuable decades later. Even now, I can still sing so many of the songs from those videos.
If you haven’t already figured out what I’m referring to, it’s none other than Schoolhouse Rock! Schoolhouse Rock! is a series of animated musical educational short films that aired during Saturday morning children’s programming on U.S. television network ABC. The Schoolhouse Rock series aired between 1972 and 1986. The topics of the videos covered grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and politics.
When my children were little, I bought the full DVD set. Let me tell you, they proved to be so helpful when they were starting school, learning parts of speech, math, and right now, the history and political videos couldn’t be more timely!
Never seen them? You need to! Here’s a sampling of a few of the best videos (in my humble mom opinion).
The Great American Melting Pot
This song teaches about immigration in America and how the country became to be what it is now, a country filled with nationalities from all over the world.
Sufferin’ Til Suffrage
The song teaches us about women’s suffrage and the women’s rights movement. It teaches about the steps women took to get their right to vote.
I’m Just a Bill
It is about how a bill becomes a law, how it must go through Congress, and how it could be vetoed.
I love a good throwback any day of the week. Sometimes it’s just to reminisce about simpler times when I was a kid. Such good memories of singing these songs and dancing around the living room. But the lessons to be learned in many of these videos are timely and important in our current climate. My children have watched these videos many times over with me. They love them now just as much as I do. And to me, even what some may call a hokey video series from decades ago can still ring true in this present day.
Love it