Junk silver has always been popular for those who want silver but still want to have it recognizable to others in the event of a monetary collapse. I used to have a bunch of silver certificates but I sold them off as collector items. I now prefer the silver eagles along with my backup just in case junk silver.

As to how to explain to kids the difference between coin vs paper, here is what I told my kids. Around 1900 if you had a $20 gold piece you could buy a Colt single action army revolver. Today you can still buy that same gun with that same coin. However if you had a $20 paper bill back then you could buy the gun but today you would be lucky to be able to buy a box of ammunition for that same gun.