A great way to prepare for tomorrow is to learn from the past; on June 25, more than 800 children marked “Girls Make History Day” at the National Museum of the United States Navy in Washington D.C., which aims to encourage children to learn about their nation’s Navy and their heritage.

Helping the museum do that are the different characters of American Girl dolls, who lived in various important eras in the history of the United States.

The Navy website shared that this was the third annual observance of the event, which was based on the popular American Girl doll series. Spearheading this year’s celebration, as well as the two other past events, is Karin Hill, director of education and public programs for the National Museum of the U.S. Navy.

Hill shared: “This event gives young girls a chance to come and explore the history of the U.S. Navy through the eyes of historic American girls… We picked 10 historic women and we set up activities to talk about their history and what the Navy was doing during that same time. We hope to entice these young ladies to explore the historical time period of these women and also to interact with the men and women in uniform.”

Also on hand during “Girls Make History Day” 2011 is Jackie Greene, the author of the American Girl Rebecca Rubin series. Museum employees and volunteers served barbecue and assisted children in the hands-on activities.

Greene shared: “I think that the young ladies here today are so lucky to be learning about women’s history, not only from the American Girl books, but also from these historic women walking around the museum today.”