Camp Fire's programs include small group experiences, after-school programs, camping, as well as environmental education, child care, and service-learning; They aim to build confidence in younger children and provide hands-on, youth-driven leadership experiences for older youth.

[9] In 1910, young girls in Thetford, Vermont watched their brothers, friends, and schoolmates—all Boy Scouts—practice their parts in the community's 150th anniversary, which would be celebrated the following summer.

Gulick introduced the idea to friends, among them G. Stanley Hall, Ernest Thompson Seton, and James West, executive secretary of the Boy Scouts.

[15][16] Grace Seton quit the group over the rejection of her committee's draft of a handbook, followed by Linda Beard in September 1911 over differences with the Gulicks.

[12] The Bluebird program was introduced that year for younger girls, offering an exploration of ideas and creative play built around family and community.

During the project, Camp Fire Girls planted more than two million trees, built 13,000 birdhouses, and completed several other conservation-oriented tasks.

[27] While boys were invited to Camp Fire Girls Horizon Conferences in the late 1960s and early 1970s, official membership was not offered to them until 1975, when the organization became co-ed.

Camp Fire decided that boys and girls should be together in one organization, so that they learn to play and work alongside each other and appreciate their similarities and differences in positive ways.

The first Absolutely Incredible Kid Day, a call to action for all adults to communicate their love and commitment to children through letters, took place in 1997.

[30] As a way to excite and educate children in Pre-K, the Little Stars program, first developed by Camp Fire Green Country, was introduced nationally in 2005.

The five outcome-based program areas include: Small-Group Clubs and Mentoring Opportunities; Leadership Development; Camping and Environmental Education; Child Care; and Self-Reliance and Service–Learning Classes.

[31] In Small-Group Clubs and Mentoring Opportunities, boys and girls usually meet once a week for an hour, learning to work and play together through service projects.

The program levels are: Official national recognition items are one of Camp Fire's defining features, aimed to help children and adults build self-esteem and have pride in their accomplishments.

At the early levels, Camp Fire leaders help youth choose activities and guide them in earning the recognition items.

Many councils have removed the requirement that Advocacies must be completed to the Camp Fire program, citing that opportunities do not always exist for members enrolled in all areas of the country.

Working with Learn and Serve America, 27 Camp Fire councils were able to get 1,731 teens to help over 70,300 youth and family members from low-income housing understand emergency preparedness.

The Teens in Action program is built on Camp Fire's tradition of recognizing youth as part of the solution to today's social challenges.

Working together with young people, Teens in Action strives to improve the communities where youth live, to challenge them to learn new skills and provide leadership in areas never thought possible.

Programs of this nature aim to inspire and honor community responsibility, contribute to the future of American volunteerism, and encourage a sense of caring for others.

Its intent is to build strong ties between teens and their families, schools and communities, and to put a spotlight on issues of concern to youth.

[36] Hold on to Health is a Camp Fire program that helps to teach children to make healthy decisions regarding exercise and eating.

Its outdoor experiences help children work in groups, make friends and build self-esteem, while learning about ecology, conservation and the interrelationships of all living things.

Families come together once a month to share a meal and participate in a recognition ceremony designed to recognize both individual and group accomplishments.

The club then breaks into age-level groups for an activity session led by a team of parents who volunteer for the short-term assignment for that month.

Started in 1997, Absolutely Incredible Kid Day (AIKD) is a national annual campaign in which adults write letters of love and support to the young people in their lives.

In previous years, Absolutely Incredible Kid Day developed a following, including athletes, entertainers, and celebrities who have championed the cause by writing letters to America's youth, including former presidents Bill Clinton George W. Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Rice, and astronaut and former Senator John Glenn.

[43] Today, a member may choose any style of ceremonial attire, particularly if it honors their ethnic background, such as tunics, kimonos, and Scandinavian skirts/aprons.

Irene Ellion Benson wrote one of the first books to incorporate Camp Fire, called How Ethel Hollister Became a Campfire Girl, published in 1912.