What Girl Scouts Learned in the 1920s

Girl Scout cookies are only a small part of the activities that the scouts engage in. There’s tons of learning, training, and skill building involved, as well as team building, too! The Girl Scouts have been around since 1912, having been modeled after the Boy Scouts. The long history of this organization (officially known as the Girl Scouts of the United States of America) means that generations of women and girls have gone through the ranks. Troops, locations, and different eras mean that the scouts will learn varied things. Two Girl Scouts might have very different experiences in different troops. But, what the kids are learning these days ins’t the same as the training they used to get, as these photos of Girl Scouts from the 1920s shows. Many troops from back in the day focused on outdoor activities instead of indoor ones, for example.

Clothes Washing

In an era when many households didn’t have electric washing machines, the girls were taught how to properly do laundry by hand and this included using washboards.

Signaling

It’s a skill most people today have no idea about, but the scouts were learning systems of code like Morris code and semaphore back then. These signals were used for ships at sea to communicate, a useful thing to know if ever you planned to sail, but also for ground communications and other situations as well.

Archery

These days archery is considered a high risk activity for the Scouts and is offered in some troops, but not others. Target practice using slingshots is sometimes offered instead these days, but back in the day archery was a beloved sport embraced by many- including the Girl Scouts.

Campfire Cooking

Again this is a higher risk activity and some troops today may have designated cooks and fire builders instead of having every girl learn how to cook over an open fire. But, back in the day girls were taught this skill for camping as well how to cook in a fireplace or hearth indoors if possible, increasing their knowledge of how to survive and thrive in any environment.

Basic First Aid Skills

Here two scouts practice bandaging or splinting on a small dog, but one presumes they practiced on humans as well. First aid was a crucial part of the program back then. Now, some troops choose not to delve deeper into this area of knowledge.

Sewing Badges

The Girl Scouts have decommissioned the sewing badge in modern times, but some troops do still learn it. However, in the 1920s it would have been a badge almost every Girls Scout aspired to earn.

Gardening

Growing plants and food is one program that has not gone away within the Girl Scouts. It’s considered lower risk, has no prerequisites, and some troops these days donate the crops to local food banks.