WELCOME TO CUB SCOUTING: EARNING THE BEAR RANK
A boy who is 9 years old or is in the third grade is a Bear, and his adventures are found in the Bear Handbook.
Like all other new Cub Scouts, a Bear must first earn his Bobcat rank. After completing the requirements for Bobcat he may go on to complete the requirements for the Wolf rank and the many electives that are offered for his rank.
The den meeting plans for the Bear rank adventures are found in the Bear Den Leader Guide along with other tips and hints for running a fun Cub Scout Program.
Bear Scouts work toward the Bear rank. The Bear rank is earned by completing seven adventures as described below.
- Complete each of the following Bear required adventures with your den or family:
a. Bear Claws
b. Bear Necessities
c. Fellowship and Duty to God
d. Fur, Feathers, and Ferns
e. Grin and Bear It
f. Paws for Action - Complete one Bear elective adventure of your den or family’s choosing.
- With your parent or guardian, 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.*
| For each adventure, the Bear Scout must complete the requirements as outlined in the Bear Cub Scout Handbook. Requirement 7 of Bobcat and requirement 3 of Bear are identical. If a Cub Scout earns his Bobcat rank during the same year that he begins working on his Bear rank, he needs to complete the requirement only one time. |
A parent, guardian, or other caring adult acknowledges the completion of each achievement part by signing the boy’s handbook (Akela’s OK). The den leader also signs each boy’s handbook (Den Leader’s OK) and records progress in the den’s advancement records. The Bear Scouts also keep track of their own advancement using the Adventure Tracking section in the back of their handbooks, and under the guidance of the den leader, they can also keep a record of their individual progress on a den advancement chart and den doodle.
The pack should encourage each den to deliver a year-round program, drawing from both required adventures to support rank advancement and elective adventures to support program enrichment. Elective adventures may be earned during den activities, by a boy with the participation of his family, and during council and district sponsored program opportunities. There is no required order in which adventures must be earned. The sequence is left to the discretion of the den leader and Cubmaster.
After a boy earns the Bear badge, he will continue to meet with his den, working on additional elective adventures until he completes third grade (or turns 10 years old) and becomes a Webelos Scout.