Welcome to Camp Fire
Congratulations on choosing to have your child become a Camp Fire member. Throughout the program your child will have fun playing games, cooking, singing, making art projects, and using both your imaginations.
Your child will learn about emotions and relationships, the environment, staying healthy and safe, and how to make a difference in the world.
In addition, your child with build self esteem, improve both fine and gross motor skills, try new things and begin setting goals and working towards achieving them. As your child grows the Camp Fire program grows with them. The projects are designed to be entertaining, informative, and challenging to the age group designated by the program level.
Program Levels
There are 5 program levels. Each program features a well rounded curriculum.
Little Stars
This program is for preschoolers, ages 3-5. Children in this program become better prepared for school, build stronger family bonds, and start forming healthy habits.
Starflight
This program is for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Children continue developing good communication skills, start learning how they can make a difference by completing community service projects of their choice, and experiment in the arts and sciences.
Adventure
This program is for children in 3rd through 5th grade. Children continue to build on all the skills and knowledge that they have gained through school and Camp Fire, plus they begin to focus on making goals, breaking the goals into smaller pieces, and working to achieve their goals. They also learn how to work as a team and begin building their leadership skills.
Discovery
This program is designed for youth in middle school (6th through 8th grade). By now youth have developed strong interests in various topics and the Camp Fire curriculum helps youth explore these interest but also introduces them to new things. Youth also begin developing life skills and learn to explore technology safely.
Horizon
This program is for high school age youth (9-12th grade). While completing this program youth not only have a chance to earn the Wohelo Award (highest honor in Camp Fire), but they are gaining skills and knowledge that will help them succeed as adults. They learn about budgets, how to recognized healthy and unhealthy relationships, how to apply for jobs, and who they want to be.
Earning Recognition Items
Camp Fire youth earn emblems, pins, beads, and buttons.
Program Level Emblems
Each program level has emblems that are earned by completing projects designed for that age level. Each year the children have 10 -19 different projects to choose from. There are typically more projects and meeting plans than can be completed in a year. This allows youth to choose to complete projects that they are interested in and gives them plenty of chances to try new things.
All Ages Emblems
Children can also earn All Ages Emblems. Most of the All Ages awards and emblems can be earned annually. For example, many children enjoy earning the 4 different Celebrate the Seasons emblems every year
End of Year Awards
Youth participating in the Starflight, Adventure, and Discovery programs have the chance to earn a special end of year award for each year they spend in the program.
Beads (Adventure Level and Higher)
Camp Fire has a long standing tradition of celebrating accomplishments with beads. For over a century, youth have been learning skills, trying new things, and completing projects. To remember and celebrate these achievements youth earn and display beads. They can sew them on their vests and ceremonial attire, make jewelry out of them, or display the beads in a new fun way.
Three Ways to Earn Beads
- Completing step in a National Project. For each step the youth complete they earn 1 purple bead.
- Attend and participate in a meeting, that is part of earning a trail emblem. Youth earn a bead corresponding to the Camp Fire Trail the project is in.
- Youth earn beads on their own by completing activities in the Camp Fire Bead Book.
Pins (Discovery Level)
While completing projects youth are also earning Knowledge Points, Skill Points, or Leadership Points. When they reach 5 points in a category they earn a pin.
Special Event Items
Children earn buttons for attending Day Camp or other special events. They can earn several different recognition items for participating in the candy sale. Children can also earn commemorative emblems for the Camp Fire Birthday, Council Fire and other events.
Displaying Emblems
You and your child can choose to make a vest, buy 
a red Camp Fire vest, or create a wall hanging to show off the emblems that have been earned.
If you are displaying your emblems on a vest, put the Camp Fire National Emblem over your heart (child’s left) with the program emblem above it. Don’t forget to save a little room for the tenure bars.
Any other emblems, pins, and buttons can be placed wherever you and your child would like.
6th -12th graders make their own ceremonial attire to display their emblems and beads. Ceremonial attire can include sashes, gowns, overlays, vests, purses, cloaks, etc. Ceremonial attire should reflect the individual; it can show off the teens personality, creativity, or cultural background.
Buying Materials
In Camp Fire children Pre-K through 5th Grade most children display their emblems by sewing them onto a vest. To purchase a vest, emblems, or wall hanging pattern for you child please contact rebeccab@campfireseattle.org.
Using Curriculum
Camp Fire participants benefit from completing a wide range of activities and by trying new things. To accomplish this feat please use the end of year awards as a starting point. Once the end of year award has been accomplished then youth can complete additional projects of interests or complete All Ages Projects.
Progress Tracker
While completing meeting plans and projects please use the progress tracker to help keep track of the completed activities. It will assist you in knowing which program level emblems to order.
Youth Voice
As youth get older they should become more responsible for their projects. 
Ways to Give Youth Voice
- Input- Youth give feedback during each meeting plan when leaders ask playback questions and complete reflection techniques. Leaders use this information to guide them in future meeting plans or when picking projects.
- Choice- Youth are provided choices. Youth could pick from a list of projects, they can pick the order that projects are completed, they can make decisions on how a project is completed, or the order of events at their meetings. Choices can be between options provided by the leader/parent or they can include brainstorming opportunities when the questions are open-ended.
- Shared Leadership- Youth and leaders/parents trade off on leading activities. Children lead opening and closing activities. Youth are given roles in the group. For younger groups this is line leader, snack helper, paper/materials passer outer, etc. For Adventure Level and up the roles have more responsibilities President, Vice President, Treasure, Secretary, etc. Eventually youth are signing up and presenting activities to their group or completing projects on their own with only assistance from their leader/parent.
Community Service Projects
Every year youth plan and complete a community service project. These projects can be small like making cards for veterans, or decorations for nursing homes (done in an hour or two). They can be medium sized projects like making blankets for animal shelters and cleaning up a local park (done in day), or they can complete larger projects like creating a haunted house, host an event for all the local Camp Fire groups, or set up and lead a food drive or book drive at their school/neighborhood (takes weeks/months to plan and complete).
Candy Sale
The Candy Sale is a part of the Camp Fire curriculum. By completing the Sales and Sense Emblem, children learn how to sell candy safely and effectively. Before the Candy Sale children set goals and figure out how to complete those goals. By hard work youth earn emblems, stuffed animals, pins, candy credits, limo rides, money for their group, gift cards and a solid work ethic. By approaching new people and selling to family and friends youth gain confidence, communication skills, and salesmanship. They learn to market and set up displays and eventually they learn to teach others as they become old enough to lead the Candy Rallies. At the end of the year when asked youth always list the Candy Sale as one of their favorite activities.