The Bear Adventures
Your Bear Cub will need a Bear Handbook, which is available from the Scout Shop or online at www.scoutstuff.org.
PLEASE NOTE! The 2015-2016 Cub Scout Program year will be using all new materials and curriculum, so there are new handbooks that are available to purchase as of May 2015. If the Cub Scout has not previously earned the Bobcat Badge, it must be earned first.
Requirements for Bear Rank:
- Complete each of the following Bear
required adventures with your den or family:
c. Fellowship and
Duty to God
d. Fur, Feathers,
and Ferns
- Complete one Bear elective adventure of
your den or family’s choosing.
- With your parent or adult partner,
complete the exercises in the pamphlet How to Protect Your
Children from Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide, and earn the Cyber Chip
award for your age.*
*If your family
does not have Internet access at home AND you do not have ready Internet access
at school or another public place or via a mobile device, the Cyber Chip
portion of this requirement may be waived by your parent or guardian. Bear CORE Adventure Requirements Bear Adventure: Bear Claws
- Learn about three common designs of
pocketknives.
- Learn knife safety and earn your
Whittling Chip.
- Using a pocketknife, carve two items.
Bear Adventure: Bear Necessities
- While working on your Bear badge, camp
overnight with your pack. If your chartered organization does not permit
Cub Scout camping, you may substitute a family campout or a daylong
outdoor activity with your den or pack.
- Attend a campfire show, and participate
by performing a song or skit with your den.
- Make a list of items you should take
along on your campout.
- Make a list of equipment that the group
should bring along in addition to each Scout’s personal gear.
- With your den, plan a cooked lunch or
dinner that is nutritious and balanced. Make a shopping list, and help
shop for the food. On a campout or at another outdoor event, help cook the
meal and help clean up afterward.
- Help your leader or another adult cook
a different meal from the one you helped prepare for requirement five.
Cook this meal outdoors.
- Help set up a tent. Pick a good spot
for the tent, and explain to your den leader why you picked it.
- Demonstrate how to tie two half
hitches. Explain what the name means and what the hitch is used for.
- Learn how to read a thermometer and a
barometer. Keep track of the temperature and barometric pressure readings
and the actual weather at the same time every day for seven days.
Bear Adventure: Fellowship and Duty to God Do either
requirement 1 OR requirement 2.
- Earn the religious emblem of your
faith.
- Complete 2a and at least two of
requirements 2b–2d.
a. Working with a
parent or guardian, spiritual advisor, or religious leader, provide service to
help a place of worship or spiritual community, school, community organization,
or chartered organization that puts into practice your ideals of duty to God
and strengthens your fellowship with others.
b. Name some people
in history who have shown great faith in God as they worked to make our world a
better place. Discuss with an adult one or more of the characteristics of a
person you admire, and make a plan to develop one of the selected characteristics
in yourself. Share your plan with your family, and carry it out for two weeks.
c. Make a list of
things you can do to practice your duty to God as you are taught in your home
or place of worship or spiritual community. Select two of the items, and practice
them for two weeks.
d. Attend a
religious service, den or pack meeting worship service, or time of family
reflection and discussion about your family’s beliefs.
Bear Adventure: Fur, Feathers, and Ferns
- While hiking or walking for one mile,
identify six signs that any animals, birds, insects, reptiles, or plants
are living nearby the place where you choose to hike.
- Name one animal that has become extinct
in the last 100 years. Tell why the animal became extinct. Name one animal
that is on the endangered species list. Visit a government website to
learn about endangered species in your area.
- Visit one of the following: zoo,
wildlife refuge, nature center, aviary, game preserve, local conservation
area, wildlife rescue group, or fish hatchery. Describe what you learned
during your visit.
- Observe wildlife from a distance.
Describe what you saw.
- Use a magnifying glass to examine
plants more closely. Describe what you saw through the magnifying glass
that you could not see without it.
- Learn about composting and how
vegetable waste can be turned into fertilizer for plants.
- Plant a vegetable or herb garden.
Bear Adventure: Grin and Bear It
- Play a challenge game or initiative
game with the members of your den. Take part in a reflection after the
game.
- Working with the members of your den,
organize a Cub Scout carnival and lead it at your pack meeting.
- Help younger Cub Scouts take part in
one of the events at the Cub Scout carnival.
- After the Cub Scout carnival, discuss
with the members of your den and your den leader what went well, what
could be done better, and how everyone worked together to make the event a
success.
- Make and present an award to one of the
adults who helped you organize the activities at the Cub Scout carnival.
Bear Adventure: Paws for Action
- Do the following:
a. Find out about
two famous Americans. Share what you learned.
b. Find out where
places of historical interest are located in or near your community, town, or
city. Go and visit one of them with your family or den.
c. Learn about our
flag. Display it at home for one month. Say the Pledge of Allegiance and learn
its meaning.
a. Visit a local
sheriff’s office or police station, or talk with a law enforcement officer
visiting your den. During the visit, take turns with your den members asking
questions that will help you learn how to stay safe.
b. During or after
your visit with a law enforcement officer, do at least two of the following:
i. Practice one way
police gather evidence by taking fingerprints, taking a shoe print, or taking
tire track casts.
ii. Make a list of
emergency numbers to post in your home, and keep a copy with you in your
backpack or wallet.
iii. With your
family, develop a plan to follow in case of an emergency, and practice the plan
at least three times. Your family can determine the emergency, or you can
develop several plans.
iv. Discuss with
your parent or another adult you trust any worries you have about your safety
or a friend’s safety.
v. If you have
younger brothers and sisters, make sure they know how to call for help in an
emergency.
a. Learn about the
energy your family uses and how you can help your family decrease its energy
use.
b. Do a cleanup
project that benefits your community.
Bear ELECTIVE Adventure Requirements Bear Elective Adventure: Baloo the Builder
- Discover which hand tools are the best
ones to have in your tool box. Learn the rules for using these tools
safely. Practice with at least four of these tools before beginning a
project.
- Learn the steps of planning a building
project and how to read the instructions or drawings.
- Select and build one useful project and
one fun project using wood.
- Learn how to finish a wood project.
Bear Elective Adventure: A Bear Goes Fishing
- Discover and learn about three types of
fishes in your area. Draw a color picture of each fish, record what each
one likes to eat, and describe what sort of habitat each likes.
- Learn about your local fishing
regulations with your leader or a parent or guardian. List three of the
regulations you learn about and one reason each regulation exists.
- Learn about fishing equipment, and make
a simple fishing pole. Practice casting at a target 30 feet away. Teach
what you have learned to someone in your family, another Scout, or one of
your friends.
- Go on a fishing adventure, and spend a
minimum of one hour trying to catch a fish. Put into practice the things
you have learned about fish and fishing equipment.
Bear Elective Adventures: Bear Picnic Basket
- Do the following:
a. Create your own
Bear Cookbook using at least five recipes you can cook or prepare either on
your own or with some adult help. Include one page with information about first
aid. You should include one recipe for a breakfast item, one for lunch, and one
for dinner, and two recipes for nutritious snacks.
b. Demonstrate an
understanding of meal planning, cooking tools, cooking safety, and how to
change the amounts in a recipe.
c. Go on a grocery
shopping trip with your den or with an adult. Check the price of different
brands of one single item, and compare the price of a ready-made item with the
price of the same item you would make yourself.
a. With the help of
an adult, select one food item, and follow a recipe to prepare it for your
family in your kitchen. Once you have eaten, ask everyone what they liked or
didn’t
like. Explain what
you would do differently next time. Make notes on your recipe of changes you
want to make so you will remember them the next time you cook. Clean up after
the preparation and cooking.
b. With the help of
an adult, select one food item, and follow a recipe to prepare it outdoors for
your family or den. Once you have eaten, ask everyone what they liked or didn’t
like. Explain what you would do differently next time. Make notes on your recipe
of changes you want to make so you will remember them the next time you cook.
Clean up after the preparation and cooking.
- Select and prepare two nutritious
snacks for yourself, your family, or your den.
Bear Elective Adventure: Beat of the Drum
- Learn about the history and culture of
American Indians who lived in your area at the time of European
colonization.
- Write a legend.
- Make a dream catcher.
- Make a craft.
- Make a drum. Once your drum is
complete, create a ceremonial song.
- Visit an Order of the Arrow dance
ceremony or American Indian event within your community.
- Learn about ceremonial dances and learn
dance steps.
- Create a dance.
Bear Elective Adventure: Critter Care
- Care for a pet for two weeks. Make a
list of tasks you did to take care of the pet. If you do not have a pet,
research one that you would like to have and write about the care it
needs.
- Learn more about your pet or a pet you
would like to have. List three interesting facts that you learned about
your pet.
- Make a poster about your pet or a pet
you would like to own. Share your poster with your den, pack, or family.
- Do your best to train a pet to perform
a trick or follow a simple command, and explain how you trained it. (If
your pet is a hermit crab, fish, snake, or the like, you may skip this
requirement.)
- Tell three ways that animals can help
people.
- Tell what is meant by an animal being
“rabid.” Name some animals that could have rabies. Explain what you should
do if you are near an animal that might be rabid.
- Visit with a local veterinarian or
animal shelter caretaker. Find out what types of animals he or she might
see on a regular basis. Ask what type of education is needed to become a
veterinarian or shelter caretaker. Why did he or she choose to pursue this
career?
Bear Elective Adventure: Forensics
- Talk with your family and den about
forensics and how it is used to help solve crimes.
- Analyze your fingerprints.
- Learn about chromatography and how it
is used in solving crimes. Do an investigation using different types of
black, felt-tip markers. Share your results with your den.
- Do an analysis of four different
substances: salt, sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch.
- Make a shoe imprint.
- Visit the sheriff’s office or police
station in your town. Find out how officers collect evidence.
- Learn about the different jobs
available in forensic science. Choose two, and find out what is required
to work in that field. Share what you learned with your den.
- Learn how animals are used to gather
important evidence. Talk about your findings with your den.
Bear Elective Adventure: Make It Move
- Create an “exploding” craft stick
reaction.
- Make two simple pulleys, and use them
to move objects.
- Make a lever by creating a seesaw using
a spool and a wooden paint stirrer. Explore the way it balances by placing
different objects on each end.
- Do the following:
a. Draw a Rube
Goldberg–type machine. Include at least six steps to complete your action.
b. Construct a real
Rube Goldberg–type machine to complete a task assigned by your den leader. Use
at least two simple machines and include at least four steps.
Bear Elective Adventure: Marble Madness
- Discuss with your family and den the
history of marbles, such as where and when the game began. Talk about the
different sizes of marbles and what they are made of and used for.
- Learn about three different marble
games, and learn to play the marble game “ringer.” Learn how to keep
score. Learn and follow the rules of the game. Play the game with your
family, friends, or your den.
- Learn four or five words that are used
when talking about marbles. Tell what each of the words means and how it
relates to playing marbles. Share this information with your den.
- With the help of an adult, make a
marble bag to hold marbles.
- With your den or family, make a marble
obstacle course or marble golf course. Share what you create. Invite
everyone to go through your course.
- Create your own game using marbles, and
design rules for playing the game. Share the game you created with your
den, family, or friends. Explain the rules and how to play the game.
- With your den or family, create a
marble race track. Have at least two lanes so you can race your favorite
marbles against each other.
- Make a marble maze.
Bear Elective Adventures: Roaring Laughter
- Think about what makes you laugh. Write
down three things that make you laugh.
- Practice reading tongue twisters.
- Create your own short story. Remove
some nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from the story, leaving blanks.
Without telling the story, have a friend insert his or her own nouns,
verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in the story you created.
- With a partner, play a game that makes
you laugh.
- Share a few jokes with a couple of
friends to make them laugh.
- Practice at least two run-ons with your
den, and perform them at a pack meeting or campfire program.
Bear Elective Adventures: Robotics
- Identify six tasks performed by robots.
- Learn about some instances where a
robot could be used in place of a human for work. Research one robot that
does this type of work, and present what you learn to your den.
- Build a robot hand. Show how it works
like a human hand and how it is different from a human hand.
- Build your own robot.
- Visit a place that uses robots.
Bear Elective Adventures: Salmon Run
- Explain the safety rules that you need
to follow before participating in boating.
- Identify the equipment needed when
going boating.
- Demonstrate correct rowing or paddling
form. Explain how rowing and canoeing are good exercise.
- Explain the importance of response
personnel or lifeguards in a swimming area.
- Show how to do both a reach rescue and
a throw rescue.
- Visit a local pool or swimming area
with your den or family, and go swimming.
- Demonstrate the front crawl swim stroke
to your den or family.
- Name the three swimming ability groups
for the Boy Scouts of America.
- Attempt the BSA beginner swimmer
classification.
Bear Elective Adventures: Super Science
- Make static electricity by rubbing a
balloon or a plastic or rubber comb on a fleece blanket or wool sweater.
Explain what you learned.
- Conduct a balloon or other static
electricity investigation that demonstrates properties of static
electricity. Explain what you learned.
- Conduct one other static electricity
investigation. Explain what you learned.
- Do a sink-or-float investigation.
Explain what you learned.
- Do a color-morphing investigation.
Explain what you learned.
- Do a color-layering investigation. Explain
what you learned.
Bear Elective Adventure: A World of Sound
- Make an mbira.
- Make a sistrum.
- Make a rain stick.
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