BEAR

Bear is the fourth rank the boys earn as Cub Scouts.  Bears are 3rd-grade boys. As with Tigers and Wolves, Bears meet in dens consisting of eight to twelve boys. They are led by a Den Leader and Co-Leader, along with other adults who help out.  The Den also takes part in monthly Pack meetings.

Bear is the third and final rank of advancement before the boy moves onto WeBeLoS.  The program is similar to the Wolf program, but there are 24 Bear Achievements in four categories – God, Country, Family, and Self.  The Cub Scout must complete 12 of these to earn the Bear Badge.  Activities include planning and cooking a family meal, increasing strength and agility through exercise, and camping with the family.  Bear Cubs can also earn arrow points for completing extra work.
 

Bear Badge Requirements
To earn the Bear Badge, a Cub Scout must complete 12 achievements out of a possible 24 that are offered in the book.  The achievements are grouped in 4 major areas, GOD, COUNTRY, FAMILY, and SELF.  Within each group, a required number of achievements must be completed, as indicated below.  Also, any achievements that they do NOT use to earn the Bear Badge may be used to earn Arrow Points.

(Note that these achievements, as were the Wolf activities, are primarily done at home and signed off by an adult family member after the boy has completed each one. The book is then shown to the Den Leader who records the progress and also signs the boy's book.)

The Bear Achievements are as follows, page number references to the Bear Book are in parenthesis.

If the Cub Scout has not previously earned the Bobcat Badge, it must be earned first.

Belt Loops
The Cub Scouts Academics and Sports Program (Belt Loops) is one method of addressing the third aim of Scouting: the development of physical, mental and emotional fitness.  Fitness includes the body (well-tuned and healthy), the mind (able to think and solve problems), and the emotions (self-control, courage, and self-respect).  As in most activities in Cub Scouting, this is not meant to be a highly competitive program, instead, the boys are encouraged to DO THEIR BEST.

The Academic and Sports Program is an optional program for all Cub Scouts.  It is not part of the normal requirements towards ranks, except where used in obtaining various Webelos activity badges and Wolf Elective 20 (Sports).  Its purpose is to assist the Scouts in learning a new skill, or improving one they already posses.

ACHIEVEMENTS

GOD (Do ONE of the following)

  1. WAYS WE WORSHIP (Page 26)
    Complete both requirements.
    1. Complete the Character Connection for Faith
      • Know. Name some people in history who have shown great faith. Discuss with an adult how faith has been important at a particular point in his or her life.
      • Commit. Discuss with an adult how having faith and hope will help you in your life, and also discuss some ways that you can strengthen your faith.
      • Practice. Practice your faith as you are taught in your home, church, synagogue, mosque, or religious fellowship.
    2. Make a list of things you can do this week to practice your religion as you are taught in your home, church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious community. Check them off your list as you complete them.

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  1. EMBLEMS OF FAITH (Page 30)
    Complete the requirement.
    Earn the Religious Emblem of your faith.

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COUNTRY (Do THREE of the following)

  1. WHAT MAKES AMERICA SPECIAL?  (Page 34)
    (Do requirements (a) and (j) and any two of the other requirements. 
    1. Write or tell what makes America special to you.
    2. With the help of your family or den leader, find out about two famous Americans. Tell the things they did or are doing to improve our way of life. 
    3. Find out something about the old homes near where you live. Go and see two of them. 
    4. Find out where places of historical interest are located in or near your town or city.   Go and visit one of them with your family or den. 
    5. Choose a state;  it can be your favorite one or your home state.  Name its state bird, tree, and flower. Describe its flag. Give the date it was admitted to the Union.
    6. Be a member of the color guard in a flag ceremony for your den or pack.
    7. Display the U.S. flag in your home or fly it on three national holidays..
    8. Learn how to raise and lower a U.S. flag properly for an outdoor ceremony.
    9. Participate in an outdoor flag ceremony
    10. Complete the Character Connection for Citizenship.
      • Know. Tell ways some people in the past have served our country. Tell about some people who serve our country today. (Don't forget about "ordinary" people who serve our country.)
      • Commit. Tell something that might happen to you and your family if other people were not responsible citizens. Tell one thing you will do to be a good citizen.
      • Practice. Tell three things you did in one week that show you are a good citizen.

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  1. TALL TALES  (Page 42)
    Do all three requirements.
    1. Tell in your own words what folklore is. List some folklore stories, folk songs, or historical legends from your own state or part of the country. Play the Folklore Match Game on page 48.
    2. Name at least five stories about American folklore. Point out on a United States map where they happened. 
    3. Read two folklore stories and tell your favorite one to your den.

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  1. SHARING YOUR WORLD WITH WILDLIFE (Page 50)
    This elective is also part of the Cub Scout World Conservation Award.
    Do four of the requirements.
    1. Choose a bird or animal that you like and find out how it lives. Make a poster showing what you have learned.
    2. Build or make a bird feeder or birdhouse and hang it in a place where birds can visit safely.
    3. Explain what a wildlife conservation officer does.
    4. Visit one of the following:
      Zoo, Nature center, Aviary, Wildlife refuge, Game preserve.
    5. Name one animal that has become extinct in the last 100 years. Tell why animals become extinct. Name one animal that is on the endangered species list.

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  1. TAKE CARE OF YOUR PLANET (Page 56)
    Do three requirements.
    1. Save 5 pounds of glass or aluminum, or 1 month of daily newspapers. Turn them in at a recycling center or use your community's recycling service.
    2. Plant a tree in your yard, or on the grounds of the group that operates your Cub Scout pack, or in a park or other public place. Be sure to get permission first.  
    3. Call city or county officials or your trash hauling company and find out what happens to your trash after it is hauled away.
    4. List all the ways water is used in your home. Search for dripping faucets or other ways water might be wasted. With an adult, repair or correct those problems.
    5. Discuss with an adult in your family the kinds of energy your family uses. 
    6. Find out more about your family's use of electricity.
    7. Take part in a den or pack neighborhood clean-up project.

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  1. LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A BIG JOB (Page 64)
    Do all six requirements.
    1. Practice one way police gather evidence: by taking fingerprints, or taking shoeprints, or taking tire track casts.
    2. Visit your local sheriff's office or police station or talk with a law enforcement officer visiting your den or pack to discuss crime prevention.
    3. Help with crime prevention for your home.
    4. Be sure you know where to get help in your neighborhood.
    5. Learn the phone numbers to use in an emergency and post them by each phone in your home.
    6. Know what you can do to help law enforcement.

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FAMILY (Do FOUR of the following)

  1. THE PAST IS EXCITING AND IMPORTANT (Page 72)
    Do requirement g and two other requirements.
    1. Visit your library or newspaper office. Ask to see back issues of newspapers or an almanac. 
    2. Find someone who was a Cub Scout a long time ago. Talk with him about what Cub Scouting was like then.
    3. Start or add to an existing den or pack scrapbook.
    4. Trace your family back through your grandparents or great-grandparents; or, talk to a grandparent about what it was like when he or she was younger. 
    5. Find out some history about your community.
    6. Start your own history: keep a journal for 2 weeks.
    7. Complete the Character Connection for Respect.
      • Know. As you learn about how Cub Scout-age life was like for adults you know, does what you learn change what you think about them. Tell how it might help you respect or value them more.
      • Commit. Can you think of reasons others might be disrespectful to people or things you value? Name one new way you will show respect for a person or thing someone else values.
      • Practice. List some ways you can show respect for people and events in the past.

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  1. WHAT'S COOKING? (Page 80)
    Do four requirements.
    1. With an adult, bake cookies. 
    2. With an adult, make snacks for the next den meeting.
    3. With an adult, prepare one part of your breakfast, one part of your lunch, and one part of your supper.
    4. Make a list of the "junk foods" you eat. Discuss "junk food" with a parent or teacher. 
    5. Make some trail food for a hike. 
    6. With an adult, make a dessert for your family.
    7. With an adult, cook something outdoors.

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  1. FAMILY FUN (Page 90)
    Do both requirements.
    1. Go on a day trip or evening out with members of your family.
    2. Have a family fun night at home.

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  1. BE READY! (Page 96)
    Do requirements a through e and requirement g. Requirement f  is recommended, but not required. 
    1. Tell what to do in case of an accident in the home. A family member needs help. Someone's clothes catch on fire. 
    2. Tell what to do in case of a water accident.
    3. Tell what to do in case of a school bus accident.
    4. Tell what to do in case of a car accident.
    5. With your family, plan escape routes from your home and have a practice drill.
    6. Have a health checkup by a physician (optional).
    7. Complete the Character Connection for Courage.
      • Know. Memorize the courage steps: Be brave, Be calm, Be clear, and Be careful. Tell why each courage step is important. How will memorizing the courage steps help you to be ready?
      • Commit. Tell why it might be difficult to follow the courage steps in an emergency situation. Think of other times you can use the courage steps. (Standing up to a bully is one example.)
      • Practice. Act out one of the requirements using these courage steps: Be brave, Be calm, Be clear, and Be careful.

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  1. FAMILY OUTDOOR ADVENTURE (Page 106)
    This achievement is also part of Cub Scouting's Leave No Trace Award.
    Do three requirements.
    1. Go camping with your family.
    2. Go on a hike with your family.
    3. Have a picnic with your family.
    4. Attend an outdoor event with your family.
    5. Plan your outdoor family day.

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  1. SAVING WELL, SPENDING WELL (Page 112)
    Do four requirements.
    1. Go grocery shopping with a parent or other adult member of your family.
    2. Set up a savings account.
    3. Keep a record of how you spend money for 2 weeks.
    4. Pretend you are shopping for a car for your family. 
    5. Discuss family finances with a parent or guardian. 
    6. Play a board game with your family that involves the use of play money. 
    7. With an adult, figure out how much it costs for each person in your home to eat one meal. 

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SELF (do FOUR of the following)

  1. RIDE RIGHT (Page 118)
    Do requirement (a) and three other requirements.
    1. Know the rules for bike safety. If your town requires a bicycle license, be sure to get one.
    2. Learn to ride a bike, if you haven't by now. Show that you can follow a winding course for 60 feet doing sharp left and right turns, a U-turn, and an emergency stop.
    3. Keep your bike in good shape. Identify the parts of a bike that should be checked often.
    4. Change a tire on a bicycle.
    5. Protect your bike from theft. Use a bicycle lock.
    6. Ride a bike for 1 mile without rest. Be sure to obey all traffic rules. 
    7. Plan and take a family bike hike.

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  1. GAMES, GAMES, GAMES! (Page 126)
    Do two requirements.
    1. Set up the equipment and play any two of these outdoor games with your family or friends.
      (Backyard golf, Badminton, Croquet, Sidewalk shuffleboard, Kickball, Softball, Tetherball, Horseshoes, Volleyball)
    2. Play two organized games with your den.
    3. Select a game that your den has never played. Explain the rules. Tell them how to play it, and then play it with them. 

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  1. BUILDING MUSCLES (Page 130)
    Do all three requirements.
    1. Do physical fitness stretching exercises. Then do curl-ups, push-ups, the standing long jump, and the softball throw. 
    2. With a friend about your size, compete in at least six different two-person contests. (Many examples in book.)
    3. Compete with your den or pack in the crab relay, gorilla relay, 30-yard dash, and kangaroo relay.

    NOTE TO PARENTS: If a licensed physician certifies that the Cub Scout's physical condition for an indeterminable time doesn't permit him to do three of the requirements in this achievement, the Cubmaster and pack committee may authorize substitution of any three Arrow Point electives.

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  1. INFORMATION, PLEASE -  (Page 136)
    Do requirement (a) and three more requirements.
    1. With an adult in your family, choose a TV show. Watch it together. 
    2. Play a game of charades at your den meeting or with your family at home.
    3. Visit a newspaper office, or a TV or radio station and talk to a news reporter.
    4. Use a computer to get information.  Write, spell-check, and print out a report on what you learned.
    5. Write a letter to a company that makes something you use.  Use e-mail or the U.S. Postal Service.
    6. Talk with a parent or other family member about how getting and giving facts fits into his or her job. 

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  1. JOT IT DOWN  (Page 140)
    Do requirement h and four other requirements.
    1. Make a list of the things you want to do today. Check them off when you have done them.
    2. Write two letters to relatives or friends. 
    3. Keep a daily record of your activities for 2 weeks.
    4. Write an invitation to someone.
    5. Write a thank-you note.
    6. Write a story about something you have done with your family.
    7. Write about the activities of your den. 
    8. Complete the Character Connection for Honesty.
      • Know. Tell what made it difficult to be clear and accurate as you wrote details and kept records, and tell what could tempt you to write something that was not exactly true. Define honesty.
      • Commit. Tell why it is important to be honest and trustworthy with yourself and with others. Imagine you had reported something inaccurately and tell how you could set the record straight. Give reasons that honest reporting will earn the trust of others.
      • Practice. While doing the requirement for this achievement, be honest when you are writing about real events.

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  1. SHAVINGS AND CHIPS (Page 146)
    Do all four requirements.
    1. Know the safety rules for handling a knife.
    2. Show that you know how to take care of and use a pocketknife.
    3. Make a carving with a pocketknife. Work with your den leader or other adult when doing this. 
    4. Earn the Whittling Chip card.

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  1. SAWDUST AND NAILS (Page 152)
    Do all three requirements.
    1. Show how to use and take care of four of these tools. 
      (Hammer, Hand saw, Hand drill, C-clamp, Wood plane, Pliers, Crescent wrench, Screwdriver, Bench vise, Coping saw, Drill bit)
    2. Build your own tool box.
    3. Use at least two tools listed in requirement (a) to fix something.

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  1. BUILD A MODEL (Page 156)
    Do requirement g and two other requirements.
    1. Build a model from a kit.
    2. Build a display for one of your models.
    3. Pretend you are planning to change the furniture layout in one of the rooms in your home. 
    4. Make a model of a mountain, a meadow, a canyon, or a river. 
    5. Go and see a model of a shopping center or new building that is on display somewhere. 
    6. Make a model of a rocket, boat, car, or plane. 
    7. Complete the Character Connection for Resourcefulness.
      • Know.  Review the requirements for this achievement and list the resources you would need to complete them. Then list the materials you could substitute for items that you do not already have. Tell what it means to be resourceful.
      • Commit. After you complete the requirements for this achievement, list any changes that would make the results better if you did these projects again. Tell why it is important to consider all available resources for a project.
      • Practice. While you complete the requirements for this achievement, make notes on which materials worked well in your projects and why.

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  1. TYING IT ALL UP (Page 162)
    Do five requirements.
    1. Whip the ends of a rope.
    2. Tie a square knot, bowline, sheet bend, two half hitches, and slip knot.  Tell how each knot is used.
    3. Learn how to keep a rope from tangling.
    4. Coil a rope. Throw it, hitting a 2-foot square marker 20 feet away.
    5. Learn a magic rope trick.
    6. Make your own rope.

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  1. SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS (Page 170)
    Do all five requirements.
    1. Learn the rules of and how to play three team sports. 
    2. Learn the rules of and how to play two sports in which only one person is on each side. 
    3. Take part in one team and one individual sport.
    4. Watch a sport on TV with a parent or some other adult member of your family.
    5. Attend a high school, college, or professional sporting event with your family or your den.

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  1. BE A LEADER (Page 174)
    Do requirement f and two other requirements.
    1. Help a boy join Cub Scouting, or help a new Cub Scout through the Bobcat trail. 
    2. Serve as a denner or assistant denner.
    3. Plan and conduct a den activity with the approval of your den leader.
    4. Tell two people they have done a good job.
    5. Leadership means choosing a way even when not everybody likes your choice.
    6. Complete the Character Connection for Compassion.
      • Know. Tell why, as a leader, it is important to show kindness and concern for other people. List ways leaders show they care about the thoughts and feelings of others.
      • Commit. Tell why a good leader must consider the ideas, abilities, and feelings of others. Tell why it might be hard for a leader to protect another person's well-being. Tell ways you can be kind and compassionate.
      • Practice. While you complete the requirements for this achievement, find ways to be kind and considerate of others.

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Please consult your Cub Scout Book for the detailed information about each requirement.

   

The Boy Scouts of America BSA http://www.scouting.org