S’mores, Campfires, and…Good Credit? The Girl Scouts Modernize

One of my fondest memories growing up was going to camp every Summer. Between the ages of 7 and 18, I went to the Pocono mountains every Summer and enjoyed all the usual traditions; campfires, s'mores, fishing, shooting, hiking, etc. Summer camp was so meaningful to me, in fact, that my one tattoo is a tribute to my summer camp.

I was actually a Cub Scout for a hot second, but that didn't really take. But my camp had a relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, so we had a lot of scouts as campers. A lot of them worked on merit badges throughout the summer so they could add to their collection of skills.

The Girl Scouts have a similar program (we've all seen the familiar sashes adorned with colorful patches). Back in the early days they had badges like "Girl Nurse", "Dressmaker", and "Gardener". In recent years they've added "Digital Photographer", "Entertainment Technology" and "Geocacher". And they just announced that they're undergoing a patch redesign and adding some more new, modern awards like "Website Designer", "Science of Happiness", and my personal favorite of the new batch, "Good Credit" (how does a 12 year old get that one?).

Were you a Boy or Girl Scout growing up? How about summer camp, did you spend your school holidays camping?