A shout out to Colonial House on Netflix!!

[Dooley]

What a riveting series! If you have not seen it, really, you must. Sure explains a lot and gives you a lot of info for discussion. Like at the time, in 1628, you must be a Christian to have been there, and must attend church Sunday mornings - if you did not you risked severe punishment, even death - the rules were very strict. Everyone had to work together and you can see why, it was work or die. But the people who participated in this experiment just took so long to "get it". At one point, one of the participants "came out of the closet" and of course that would not have been a situation that came up back then (he probably would not have come with the puritans), but the governor would have had to punish this young man. The governor was actually a Baptist pastor and he had to weigh out - do I do what they would have done back then? do I hold true to this experiment? Or do I consider this young mans soul today and love him? Watch and see...

 

Another interesting turn was a black man was there, as a free man. He ended up leaving the project because he could see how easy it was to go from needing indentured servants to slavery. You HAD to have people, and more of them, just to live and repay the company that sent you over to America. It made him uncomfortable with his own thoughts on slavery - now that he was living as a colonist.

 

Anyway, LOTS of grist for the intellectual mill - I highly recommend this show for history and for lots of good discussion!!!!!

[oldskool]

We watched this over our winter break and loved it. It really was interesting to see how isolated people were and how they had to survive with such little resources. The kids (and myself) sure came to appreciate how good our lives our now.

 

Lesley

[Heather in AL]

I saw this several years ago when it was first aired on PBS and enjoyed it. I'm *so* glad to see Netflix has it, because I want my kids to see it.

 

I also liked the PBS one on the Pioneer times (Pioneer House?) that, I believe, was done before Colonial House. In fact, while I liked Colonial House, Pioneer House is my favorite.

 

Thanks for the tip that Netflix has it!! I'm adding it to my list for the upcoming school year (we're doing Am. Hist, so it's quite timely!)

[nmoira]

We liked this, buy my favourite was Manor House, unfortunately not yet on instant view.

[charmama4]

Thanks for the recommendation. I just put the whole series in our queue starting with Colonial House. Can't wait to watch with the kiddo's.

[Veritaserum]

We've recently watched 1900 House and1940s House. We'll be adding Colonial House to the queue. :)

[pooh bear]

I liked this one

 

1940s House

[Gratia271]

We liked this, buy my favourite was Manor House, unfortunately not yet on instant view.

 

Thanks for another great recommendation! I don't know how I overlooked this one.

[Mejane]

We've recently watched 1900 House and1940s House. We'll be adding Colonial House to the queue. :)

 

1900 (Victorian) House is our favorite. We liked Colonial House, but couldn't stand that woman who kept whining about everything. um... did she think she was going to a feminist spa? :glare:

[Jenny in Atl]

1900 (Victorian) House is our favorite. We liked Colonial House, but couldn't stand that woman who kept whining about everything. um... did she think she was going to a feminist spa? :glare:

 

I thought it was awful, much like the Frontier House. Both were like an ABC reality shows with the most vapid people. The only one I really liked was Nate Brooks from FT; he actually seemed to want to follow the project in the most honestly manner. The rest either *****ed, cheated, or totally did not get what it was they were there to do. The Brit versions (Manor House/1940's/etc were so much better... Why is that?

[Dooley]

1900 (Victorian) House is our favorite. We liked Colonial House, but couldn't stand that woman who kept whining about everything. um... did she think she was going to a feminist spa? :glare:

 

Are you thinking of the atheist lady, the one who wouldnt go to church or the lay pastors wife, the one whom, after her husband became governor was sort of the "power behind the throne"? Was interesting to see who was actually working their behinds off and who sat around and called meetings to smoke and drink. Dont think they did much of that in colonial times....

 

And yes, it is reality TV, but with a historical twist and it is a learning experience for everyone. It gave us a lot to discuss!! We all think we can "do" it, but life was so much harder back then. Go take a shower! Wait, I have to make the soap first!

 

I think our 21st century "sensibilities" get in the way of behaving correctly for another time period.

[Mothersweets]

I thought it was awful, much like the Frontier House. Both were like an ABC reality shows with the most vapid people. The only one I really liked was Nate Brooks from FT; he actually seemed to want to follow the project in the most honestly manner. The rest either *****ed, cheated, or totally did not get what it was they were there to do. The Brit versions (Manor House/1940's/etc were so much better... Why is that?

 

Yeah, I thought Colonial House was terrible for exact reasons you listed. Also, the one where they were pioneers in Texas? What was that one called? I couldn't finish watching it, it was so bad.

 

My fav is the pioneer one they did in Canada with the 2 couples. I can't seem to find that one anywhere.

 

We really enjoyed 1900's House. The people really tried to live as if they were really "back then". I haven't seen Manor House or 1940's House - I'll have to look into those!

[dangermom]

I too was really annoyed by the feminist stuff in Colonial House. I am a feminist, but I'm also interested in historical accuracy and that was ridiculous. If you're going to live like a Pilgrim, then you should jolly well expect to attend church for hours and wear a cap and spend a lot of time working in the fields. The caps particularly enraged me--here you are in an age with no shampoo, working over an open fireplace, and pretending that caps are oppressive to women instead of a sensible precaution to keep your hair clean and away from the flames. (Not to mention that men also had their heads covered all the time.)

 

Agh! I don't think I could watch that again. I loved Manor House though. "This house is killing meeee!" :lol:

[Hillary in KS]

I thought it was awful, much like the Frontier House. Both were like an ABC reality shows with the most vapid people. The only one I really liked was Nate Brooks from FT; he actually seemed to want to follow the project in the most honestly manner. The rest either *****ed, cheated, or totally did not get what it was they were there to do. The Brit versions (Manor House/1940's/etc were so much better... Why is that?

 

:iagree:

 

Yes. I thought both Colonial House and Frontier House did a terrible job of picking participants. There were those few who wanted to try to be as true to the period as possible (which was the POINT, after all), and then those who wanted to cheat, cut corners, or change everything to suit their wishes.

 

Colonial House was by far the worst, in that area.

 

I loved 1900 House, 1940 House, and Manor House, though! I hadn't thought to check Netflix for them. Thanks!

[Hillary in KS]

 

My fav is the pioneer one they did in Canada with the 2 couples. I can't seem to find that one anywhere.

 

 

 

 

Oh, I remember that one! That was great, because the families stayed on that land for a whole year. At the end the almost didn't want to leave because they were finally getting the hang of things. :)

[Mejane]

Are you thinking of the atheist lady, the one who wouldnt go to church or the lay pastors wife, the one whom, after her husband became governor was sort of the "power behind the throne"? Was interesting to see who was actually working their behinds off and who sat around and called meetings to smoke and drink. Dont think they did much of that in colonial times....

 

 

 

The one who wouldn't go to church, complained all the time about having no say, didn't want to work and, I believe, smoked. It's Colonial House - what did she think she was signing on for?

[FaithManor]

I enjoyed Frontier House and loved the young couple that got married on the show. His dad was such a dear and she seemed to throw herself into the roll after the wedding. Additionally, I felt like they tried very hard to live the life honestly and did historically accurate things, such as supporting the school even though they did not have children. They recognized it as an investment in the community. I felt the other two couples represented exactly what would happen if spoiled, whiney individuals were transplanted into a place where there were no societal fail-safe mechanisms for their survival. Yep, Mr. and Mrs. Whiney, life was tough....get over it...you signed up for this.

 

I found the lack of cooperation of many of the participants in Colonial House to be ridiculous. That colony would not have survived. But, I also felt that it was a stark reminder of just how "soft" modern man has become. Most of the individuals in our culture could not survive outside of this very elaborate infrastructure we have....that's scary because if the economy completely and totally collapsed, if the Great Depression occured again, most people will be rioting in the streets and will give up ALL of their freedoms for a hand out because they are not resourceful enough to find a way to take care of themselves. If anything, I think our journey towards a more self-sustaining life began when dh and I watched those shows.

 

We didn't get to see Manor House so we'd like to watch that.

 

I personally believe that one reason the families were chosen was so that there would be a portrayal of the stark reality of how hard life was and how few skill sets for self-sufficient living that the average citizen possesses. Had my parents applied, good gravy....they would have kicked "b*tt"!.

 

I think that Colonial House raises some serious questions about individuality and individual rights. In 1628, individuality would have threatened the very survival of the community, thus the strict control. Yet, 200+ years later, the concept of individual freedom is so deeply ingrained that most of the participants could not get it through their thick skulls that they would, by necessity, have to lay down some of their "rights" in order to just survive. In America, we really don't have any sense of community or group responsibility, we tend to think of only what we think is best for "me" in that moment. I thought that despite the rather disgusting behavior of many of the "colonists", the series was thought provoking.

 

Faith

[NanceXToo]

I've never heard of or seen any of the shows mentioned in this thread, but they sound like very interesting concepts! Would they be remotely suitable for a 9 1/2 y/o to watch with me?

[lisamarie]

The canadian one was called Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West. But I can't find it on netflix or on amazon. It looks like you can only order it through the pioneer quest website for $150. Nice. http://www.pioneerquest.ca/video.html

[Mothersweets]

The canadian one was called Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West. But I can't find it on netflix or on amazon. It looks like you can only order it through the pioneer quest website for $150. Nice. http://www.pioneerquest.ca/video.html

 

Thanks, Lisa! I really liked that one but $150?!!! Are they serious?

[Mejane]

I've never heard of or seen any of the shows mentioned in this thread, but they sound like very interesting concepts! Would they be remotely suitable for a 9 1/2 y/o to watch with me?

 

Yes, I think my son was eight or nine when we starting watching them. Other than the gripe about some of the participants, they really are interesting.

[Renthead Mommy]

I've never heard of or seen any of the shows mentioned in this thread, but they sound like very interesting concepts! Would they be remotely suitable for a 9 1/2 y/o to watch with me?

 

We watched both Colonial House and Frontier house this year for 2nd grade. My 7yo really enjoyed CH and got a lot out of it. He really saw how hard it was and got a sense of some of the struggles of day to day life. We've read 'Farmer Boy' before so the talk of 2 hours of chores before a miles long walk to school then home to more hours of chores was not new to him. But even he could see how much harder it was for the CH people.

 

Michelle Voorhees did talk a lot about how hard it was not to be 'heard' and to have been unappreciated and such, but I didn't see it as complaining as much comparing how different life then was from life today.

 

We tried watching Frontier House, but it had too much drama and not as much 'action' I guess. He got bored in it pretty quick. I couldn't stand the one father. He was a whiner. The whole weightloss thing was crazy. Duh! You're doing hard, physical work! Of course you're losing weight! And I just wanted to smack his daughter and neice.

 

I liked it for what it showed of the struggles, but I think it was too much drama all the way around. By the end I was like "Oh hurry up already! Tell us who would have lived and died on the frontier!" (On each show historians study everything the FH families and CH Colony had done and based on how they were able to get by they would decide if the colony or the families would make it through the winter.)

 

It did amaze me after watching CH first, then FH, how much easier Frontier House life seemed in comparision! Granted it still looked VERY difficult, but compared to the CH lifestyle, it seemed so much more doable/survivable.

Edited June 18, 2010 by Renthead Mommy

[Dooley]

NanceXToo - Yes, your 9 1/2 yo can watch it. My 10 year old did. They bleeped the profanity (as though colonials would cuss), a young man, as I mentioned before, professes to be a homosexual (however, it was truly wonderful to see how the governor handled this - not the way they would have back then, but you will see what I mean).

 

You can have lots of conversations like; why did the colonials do things this way? Why did they choose these particular people for this project? What would have happened to them back then, but why not now? Why is this person doing this and why would they not have done it then? The view of the second group of indigenous Indians that came by was great (telling the colonists- can you imagine waking up one day and finding people building homes in your back yard, more and more coming, your way of life over??? What would YOU do?) I tell ya, we were annoyed a lot, but the conversation that ensued was always priceless!

[NanceXToo]

Thanks :) I'm going to check some of these out after we're back from vacation!

[Alicia64]

Is the series appropriate for kids who've just turned 7? We only do G movies; they tend to have nightmares.

 

Alley

[Sharon H in IL]

Is the series appropriate for kids who've just turned 7? We only do G movies; they tend to have nightmares.

 

Alley

 

It would be fine. You'll have to explain a lot, just because so much of their work is so far removed from our lives. Well, remembering some of the posters here, perhaps I should say from *my* life. LOL

[dangermom]

Well, those of you with young children will want to know that at one point on Colonial House, some people skip church and go skinny-dipping instead. You can't see much but it's there and I was surprised by one shot. Also, CH has a very sad chapter where the original governor and his family have to leave, as the oldest daughter's fiance (who was not along for the experience) died. They do show some shots of grieving.

[hillfarm]

As I recall, most of these "House" shows have some mention of physical relationships between the participants and occasionally a discussion of birth control (or lack thereof). The one young man on Colonial House decides he is homosexual. There are scenes of unmarried couples in bed together in Manor House and Colonial House, I think. The occasional bad language is usually bleeped out. There are often scenes of people bathing, but most are handled fairly well.

 

There is some violence, when animals are killed for food. I don't think they actually show the death scene, but definitely lots of preliminary drama and the weeping and wailing after the fact. IMO, this might be disturbing for some children who are sensitive to these issues.

 

Regarding the selection of participants for these shows, I think we have to remember that they are not selecting for historical accuracy, self sufficiency skills, or ability to follow rules. They are looking for entertaining television. It is not the person who takes to their new life like a duck to water that makes viewers watch. It is the CEO who turns out to be a bumbling slacker in the new life, the feminist who is completely unable to suppress her feelings and accept, even temporarily the new persona, the child who eventually gets to a place where he feels good about giving up video games and embraces a more active and productive life. I think the participant selection is more about presenting an interesting contrast than showcasing anyone's historic skills.

 

We have watched all of the shows except for the 1900's House and the Canadian show. They have given us excellent discussion topics in terms of history, psychology, sociology, and religion. I think my favorite character has been the first pastor/governor's wife in Colonial House who was kind and hardworking. And my least favorite character has been Mrs. Cook on Texas Ranch House who was slovenly and extremely demanding.

[Mom in High Heels]

I love these shows! I haven't seen Colonial House, but I'll have to check it out. Manor House and 1940's house were my favorites, but I've seen 1900's and Frontier. You can really see how spoiled we are today when you watch these shows and see the people whining and moaning about how hard it is.

[Dooley]

Yes, I forgot the scene where they had to kill a sheep - awful, I did not look so I am not sure if they showed the final blow to the head, but they did show the knife in the throat and a bit after. It was just normal life really, just hard to watch.