Have you ever wondered what money is? Beyond the green stuff. We can and have used money as anything throughout time. Rocks, minerals, feathers and even people themselves have been used as money in the past and in the present. Money is similar to religion, but unlike religion it is less understood. Money is a paradox in that we trade something of either less or no value for something we need. The money most often used today is in and of itself worth nothing. The only literal value is the paper it is printed on and it is no longer backed by anything, not gold nor silver and requires 100% faith in it. This is one reason the stock market fluctuates: investors loose faith that their stocks will not be worth as much tomorrow.
There are 2 videos that have been produced which stand out for me. The Zeitgeist series of movies (www.zeitgeistmovie.com) most eloquently explains money in a well produced format. The second one (www.moneyasdebt.net) also explains it well but in a cartoon-ish fashion that may be more suitable for a younger audience. The movies explain not only money itself but for the reason of its being as it relates to people and history. Both can be viewed through other than the official sites.
