Above, Trixie decimates the legio IX Hispana. (And here you thought they just mysteriously vanished into the mist up in Scotland).
So, the kids don’t want to read about history, or watch it on TV, or even go to a museum? Then how about re-creating it? (Or changing it so it goes the way they want?) The bygone era playsets put out by Britains®, Playmobil®, and other toy companies can lead to lots of history-related fun. Our boys spent many a happy hour setting up and playing with miniature tented circuses, pirate ships, medieval kingdoms, WW II battlefields, frontier towns, and ancient Egyptian and Ancient Roman civilizations. When finished, they stored the pieces in specific bins, and the individual makings of various structures in Zip-Loc® bags, to avoid mix-ups with other sets or even within sets. That way, they were all ready to get started the next time they got the urge to re-create or re-direct history.
Some of the sets these companies once made are no longer available new, but can sometimes be found on e-bay or at garage and car boot sales if the kids who owned them are willing to give them up. (Ours weren’t.)