“I just love selling candy; one of the highlights is spending so much time with my dad, who I don’t always see a lot of when he’s working. It’s fun meeting new people especially Camp Fire alums. It’s a really good experience and you learn lots of skills including how to manage money and physical stamina, those are long days!”

Once the candy sale was underway, Mia sold her first 1,000 boxes with time to spare. Midway through the sale, she set her sights even higher, aiming to sell 2,000 boxes and in doing so be able to send not only a single child to camp, but also sponsor a friend, making it a more memorable and comfortable experience for someone new to overnight camp.

“I will be volunteering at Carkeek day camp this summer and not going to Camp Sealth as a camper so I wanted to share the experience of overnight camp with someone who has never been before and give back.”

Join Mia & Make a Gift to Camp Fire Today!

The post Teen Leader Gives Back appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

This spring has been a busy one for Camp Fire Groups.

Our annual candy sale was a huge success doubling our sales from last year! Thanks to the incredible efforts of 93 youth who sold 19,606 boxes of candy with 1,575 of them being donated to the USO Northwest. We are grateful to everyone who supported the sale!

More than 75 Camp Fire members joined us at the Seattle Aquarium where they spent the day together taking in all the exhibits and earning a special “Under the Sea” emblem. Nearly 100 members journeyed out to Camp Sealth in March for You & Me Camp where they participated in a Drama Workshop, created sand castles on the beach and cooked pie iron pizzas outdoors.

This spring alone we have welcomed 10 brand new groups and now have groups all over King County from Bainbridge Island to Issaquah, and from Shoreline to Federal Way!

“I am so excited to see the passion and interest in the group programs returning. I can’t wait to continue forging forward with new groups, kids, and opportunities.”

Josie Kies, Director of Community Partnerships

Learn more about Camp Fire Groups

Make a Gift to Support Camp Fire Kids Today!

The post Spring Camp Fire Group Spotlight appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

Announcing our 2022 Merchant of Merits

These incredible businesses each purchased at least a case of candy in support of Camp Fire kids and programming. Thank you for returning the favor and supporting them when you can!

Homestreet Bank
Stepfar Technology Group
Adapt, Inc
Katterman’s Pharmacy

Join Our Candy Newsletter

Get Notified When Candy is Back in Stock!

Learn More About Group Program

Camp Fire Group Program encompasses groups of youth, families, or individuals who participate in our curriculum, activities, and events! Our School Year Programs focus on providing youth with meaningful learning experiences serving our mission and program outcomes.

Register Today!

The post Thank You Merchants of Merit! appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

Tune in below to stay current with Day Camp, Group Program, and Teen Programs.

Day Camp Updates

Day Camp 2022 will welcome back Golden Gardens, and add 2 more weeks to Carkeek! Of course, there will be songs, tie dye, cooking, and exploring all of Seattle’s natural beauty and wonders! Keep your eyes open for registration, which is expected to open in late January.

Meet Sammie

Samantha “TAVIE” Hagen is the new Day Camp Manager for Camp Fire Central Puget Sound! She has been in the camping industry since 2009 and has worked with various organizations such as Camp Fire Columbia, Outdoor School, and Girl Scouts. Samantha has served in a variety of positions with her most recent being the Youth & Recreation Programs Director, overseeing day camp, youth sports leagues, and after-school care. Her passions include all things Day Camp, Pixar, animals, nature, and creating summers that have lifelong memories for all who attend! Samantha is very much looking forward to continuing her career with Camp Fire and looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Learn more about our Day Camps

Group Program Updates

Events

This year, Camp Fire is able to bring back some favorite events from past years as well as host some new ones. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, You & Me Camp is coming back in March of 2022! This time, attend for the whole weekend or opt to come for Saturday only. Also returning is our Group Campout! Join Camp Fire and friends on June 11th and 12th for a weekend of group camping at Deception Pass State Park.

We have also been hosting a couple of series of traveling events called “Give Group a Go” and “an Afternoon Outdoors”. Camp Fire staff member, Ali, travels around Puget Sound delivering programming in public parks. If you are curious about Camp Fire Group Program, consider attending our next Give Group a Go event! All of our events can be found on our website calendar.

Programming

Also new this year is our monthly emblem subscription program! Program participants are mailed one new-to-Camp Fire emblem each month along with an activity packet, and some activity supplies. Topics range from Leave No Trace, to astronomy, archaeology, baking, and more! Those enrolled in any part of Group Program may opt into this exploratory add-on!

Groups

In addition to our classic volunteer-led Camp Fire Groups, we also offer independent memberships and one virtual group for youth in K-3rd grade. This virtual group meets once per month on Zoom and is enrolled in the emblem of the month program. Independent memberships are open to youth of all ages and are a terrific option for those who want to participate in Group Program but have busy schedules, aren’t connected to a group, or wish to explore the program on their own!

Explore more of Group Program!

Teen Program Updates

Community Programs Manager, Alex, has been cooking up some quality programming for middle school and high school students! To get the full scoop on this year’s teen programs around Seattle and at Camp Sealth, check out our previous blog post titled “Teen Leadership in 2022!” for more info on winter, spring and summer offerings just for teens!

View our Teen Leadership blog post

The post This Year’s Scoop on Teen Programs, Day Camp, and Group appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

Camp Fire youth worked hard this year to beat last year’s candy totals. Through their efforts, about 26,500 boxes of candy were sold this sale! This equates to over $132,000 raised for Camp Fire programs! The Camp Fire office shipped a whopping 675 candy-filled packages this year to locations all over the United States! These online sales are split among our sellers after the sale ends. Thank you to all of our sellers and to all of you who helped them reach their goals.

This Year’s Top Sellers

We had 7 sellers this year who sold over 1,000 boxes of Camp Fire candy! Congratulations to Bryn, Eden, Carly, Sebastian, Lili, and Gabriel for surpassing your sales goals of 1,000 boxes! And a special congratulations to Mia, who was our top seller with 1,589 boxes of candy sold!

Merchants of Merit

A huge thank you to all of the individuals and businesses who helped our candy sellers meet their goals this year! All of these businesses purchased at least one case of candy from our youth. Their business names can be found below.

A3 Acoustics, A & J Select Market, Modele’s, Adapt, Grand Event Rentals, Stepfar Technology Group, Rental Housing Association of Washington, Gobi Inc., Ben’s Cleaner Sales, Roxbury Lanes, Phinney Estate Law, L&P Design Expressions, Glass Expressions, Sitka Living, Dick’s Drive-In, Pickeled & Preserved LLC, Kaleidoscope Child Care, Total Equipment Care, Southwest Pediatrics-Dr. Kenneth Dong, West Hill Dental, Learning Express Toys, Des Moines Orthodontics, Auntie Irene’s, Sound Smiles Pediatrics Dentistry, Boulevard Park Church- MOPS, Northwest Basket Weavers VI Phillips Guild, Lightfoot Accounting, Carter Subaru, Hattrup & Associates PS, Bre’s Rental Equipment, Kari Haas Real Estate, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Collins Chiropractic, Moving Made EZ, National Etching, Torr Technologies Inc., Fire & Ice Irish Dance Studio, John L. Scott Real Estate, B & E Meats, Vince’s Tech Shop, Tricia Croom- Doula Services, Friends Lash Lounge, White Cap Frozen Yogurt, Lighthouse Family Ministries NW, Katie Rapozo- Theroy Real Estate Agent/Broker, Waterland Arcade, ELR Photography, Synaxis Consulting, Home Street Bank-Wedgwood Branch, Katterman’s Pharmacy, American Mutual Insurance Services LLC, Smiles @ Southcenter, Skye Industrial Inc., Barb’s Pet Project, Wells Fargo, Doo-Wah Riders, Argosy Cruises

Learn More About Camp Fire Group Program

Camp Fire Group Program encompasses groups of youth, families, or individuals who participate in our curriculum, activities, and events! Our School Year Programs focus on providing youth with meaningful learning experiences serving our mission and program outcomes.

Learn More

Support Camp Fire by Making a Special Gift!

We will make it to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. But we need your support now in order to be ready to provide the safe and inclusive spaces that youth will need more than ever to reconnect and heal with one another, their friends, and the greater community.

Give Today! 

The post 2020 Candy Sale Wrap-Up appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

This season’s National Art Experience theme was photography! Our youth spent the past year learning about the history of photography, studying photographic techniques and famous images, and experimenting with different filters, styles, and photo subjects. The theme for the 2020-2021 National Art Experience is paper!

Art Entries

We had many wonderful photographic entries highlighting our local nature and things important to our youth! Below are submissions from our group members with some comments about their work and artistic process from the artists, themselves.

Thank you to all of our creative participants! Camp Fire is excited to see what amazing works you create out of paper!

Camp Fire Group Program

The National Art Experience is one of the many fun activities offered by the Camp Fire Group Program. To learn more about this opportunity to access one-of-a-kind curriculum, connect with other families, and stay engaged year-round, visit the Group Program web page.

The post 2019-2020 National Art Experience appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

This fun and easy experiment helps youth learn about the concept of density. By layering different solutions of colored sugar water, this activity is not only visually intriguing, but introduces youth to a scientific concept they observe every day. For this activity you’ll need, water, sugar, food coloring, 5 clear cups, and a pipette or straw.

Density Experiment

Does your household have more toilet paper or canned food that usual? If you’ve gone through some rolls of TP or eaten some servings of canned beans, this grouping of activities will give you some fun ways to recycle your TP tubes and tin cans! Craft projects range from making wind chimes out of can lids to villages constructed from toilet paper rolls.

TP Tubes & Tin Can Crafts

Watch Alex’s easy-to-follow video tutorial on how to make your own moon sand! Using few ingredients that you most likely already have on-hand, this alternative to traditional sand is convenient and tons of fun to play with! Try adding food coloring to dye your sand.

Social distancing is one form of community service, but try doubling-down and doing some more volunteer work from home! Check out Camp Fire’s list of suggested service ideas you can do at home or online. Included in our list are small ways you can be kind to the earth and help those especially vulnerable to the pandemic.

Service from Home (Zip File)

Additional At-Home Activities

Here are some more at-home activities that the whole family can enjoy!

Additional Activities

We Need Your Support, Today!

Give Now!

Your gifts will help us continue serving youth in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post At-Home Activities #2 appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

Autumn is in full swing, which means our School Year Group Programming has started back up! We are so excited to refresh our group programming, by offering some new and exciting curriculum, activities, emblems, and more! Check out this little sneak peek of new things our groups have in store for this year!

New Curriculum

Camp Fire’s national office has release new Starflight and Adventure curriculum for our Kindergarten through fifth graders! To go along with this exciting change, our Group Program team in our west Seattle office has been writing their own curriculum on a local level. Kids will learn about our local ecology, climate change, business and entrepreneurship, and how fun community service can be.

New Activities

In addition to new curriculum, we are introducing the Camp Fire Activity Book, which is an updated replacement for the Camp Fire Activity Bead Book. The book will include fun activities for our groups to choose from including learning about renewable energy with solar car kits, reducing waste by participating in our council’s recycling drive, and so much more!

New Emblems

With new curriculum, comes new emblems! Our council is releasing new bright and colorful emblems based on community service, business, recycling, photography and more.

New National Art Experience Theme

The National Art Experience theme for 2019-2020 is photography! Youth are encouraged to learn about photography, take photographs, and submit their photos to our council-wide photo contest. While exploring photography as an art medium, groups can use our council’s new Local Resource Guide to aid their journey.

Learn More About Starting or Joining a Group!

Camp Fire Group Program is a great way for youth to build leadership their skills, get outdoors, improve their social and emotional skills, value diverse backgrounds, and more. Our School Year Programs focus on providing youth with meaningful learning experiences, and are available for youth of all ages and their families throughout the year.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to Ali Fuller, our Program Coordinator, at alif@campfireseattle.org or 9206)826-8980 for more information!

The post Fall for Group Program! appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

The theme for this year’s competition was printmaking. Our local council saw some amazing entries, each with a very unique and creative style and variety of techniques. Thank you to all of our incredible participants for sharing your amazing talent and creativity with the Council! Below are our awardees for the 2019 year.

Group Entries

1st Place: Issaquah Highlands Starflight

2nd Place: Fierce Fireflies

3rd Place: COADFOSA

Individual Entries

1st Place: Jesse Ballnik

2nd Place: Jonathan Hayes

Amazing Job to All of Our Talented Artists!

Check out how our amazing artists earned their National Art Emblem!

Want to learn more about Camp Fire Group Program? Start by learning what makes us unique!

The post The 2019 National Art Experience Results! appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

We are so excited to be hosting our Group and Family Campout at Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, this May 18th – 19th! This is a very beautiful and beloved park located in a lush forest setting along the Green River in Ravensdale, King County. This is a great opportunity for families to brush up on their camping skills, or learn the basics from the ground up! All ages and experience levels are welcome, and no experience in Camp Fire is necessary!

Learn More and Register

Gain Confidence in a Supportive Environment!

We’ll be learning handy outdoor skills such as orienting with a compass, fire-building, cooking over a campfire, knot-tying, and more! Whether you are a first-time camper or you’re out in the woods every weekend, you’ll have a blast learning new skills or brushing up on them! Not only that, but we’ll be learning about the park’s ecosystem, including plant life and wildlife. By the time we wrap up for the weekend, you will be eager and able to plan your next group camping trip with ease!

Get Out and Get Active

After a long winter, we can’t wait to get out and get moving! With the parks great location along the Green River and it’s many hiking trails, we’ll gear up for a scenic group hike as we enjoy the sites and sounds of the surrounding forest. We’ll also get active by playing some games that will help us practice all of the skills we’ll be learning throughout the weekend.

Make New Bonds and Strengthen Existing Ones

Spending time in the great outdoors is great, but it’s even more enjoyable when you are surrounded by spectacular people to share the experience with. You’ll have plenty of chances for families to bond with one another, and to forge to friendships!

Earn a Camping Emblem!

By attending the Group Campout, you’ll earn the Outdoor Adventures emblem. This emblem will serve as a token and a reminder of your accomplishments over the weekend!

We Hope You Can Join Us!

Registration for the Group and Family Campout is open!

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact our Program Coordinator:

Ali Fuller
(206) 826-8980
alif@campfireseattle.org

The post A Weekend Along the River with Camp Fire! appeared first on Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.