The BEAR Handbook (scouts of america) - part 1

 

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The BEAR Handbook (scouts of america) - part 1

 

 

Table of Contents
BEAR PARENT INTRODUCTION
Using This Handbook
Your Son, Scouting, and You
The Purposes of Cub Scouting
Cub Scout Den
Cub Scout Pack Leadership
Your Bear’s Advancement
Do Your Best
Bear Badge
Scouting and Duty to God
WELCOME, BEAR!
Cub Scouting
Your Bear Leaders
Your Bear Den and Den M eetings
Your Pack M eetings
Your Bear Uniform
Character Compass
The Outdoor Code
Leave No Trace Principles for Kids
YOUR FIRS T RANK—BOBCAT!
THE BEAR ADVENTURES AND REQUIREMENTS
BEAR REQUIRED ADVENTURES
Bear Claws
Bear Necessities
Fellowship and Duty to God
Fur, Feathers, and Ferns
Grin and Bear It
Paws for Action
BEAR ELECTIVE ADVENTURES
Baloo the Builder
A Bear Goes Fishing
Bear Picnic Basket
Beat of the Drum
Critter Care
Forensics
M ake It M ove
M arble M adness
Roaring Laughter
Robotics
Salmon Run
Super Science
A World of Sound
Special Awards You Can Earn
Bobcat Trail
Bear Adventure Tracking
Get Set for the Webelos Adventures!
If you could give only one gift to your son, what would it be?
No matter what your family situation, it is within your power to
help him grow into a person with a good feeling about himself and
a genuine concern for others. Cub Scouting can assist you in
providing this greatest gift of all.
Today your son is a Bear, but soon he will graduate into a
Webelos den. He’ll then work to achieve the Webelos and Arrow of
Light ranks. This will prepare him for more adventure as a Boy
Scout and the opportunity to earn Scouting’s highest rank—Eagle
Scout.
Using This Handbook
This handbook is written for both you and your Bear. M uch of
it is for your son to enjoy, while other sections like this parent
information are for you. However, it is our hope that you will read
the adventures along with your Bear and help him to achieve them.
Your Son, Scouting, and You
As a parent or other caring adult, you want your Bear to grow
up to be self-reliant and dependable, worthy and caring. Scouting
has these same goals in mind for him.
The mission of the Boy S couts of America is to prepare
young people to make ethical and moral choices over their
lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath
and S cout Law.
The S cout Oath and the S cout Law are defined on pages
18-21 in the Bobcat requirements.
Since 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has been weaving
lifetime values into fun, developmental activities. These activities
are designed to help families teach their sons how to make good
decisions throughout their lives and give them confidence as they
become the adult leaders of tomorrow.
In a society where your son is often taught that winning is
everything, Cub Scouting teaches him to DO HIS BEST, to help
others, and to try to live his life according to the Scout Oath and
the Scout Law. If a Cub Scout has done his best to satisfy a
requirement, then he has met the standard for advancement in Cub
Scouts. It is up to his parent and den leader to gauge whether he
has offered his best effort.
The Purposes of Cub Scouting
Cub Scouting is a year-round family-oriented part of the BSA
program designed for boys who are in first through fifth grades (or
are 7, 8, 9, and 10 years old). Parents, leaders, and organizations
work together to achieve the Purposes of Cub Scouting.
1. Character Development
2. Spiritual Growth
3. Good Citizenship
4. Sportsmanship and Fitness
5. Family Understanding
6. Respectful Relationships
7. Personal Achievement
8. Friendly Service
9. Fun and Adventure
10. Preparation for Boy Scouts
Cub Scout Den
Your Cub Scout is a member of a den. The Bear den will involve
your son in a group of boys his own age where he can earn
recognition for his accomplishments. He will also gain a sense of
personal achievement from the skills he learns. M ost dens have six
to eight boys and meet two to three times a month. Den meetings
are a time for learning new things, having fun, and going on outings.
Dens are led by a team of adult volunteers—the den leader and
assistant den leader(s).
Cub Scout Pack Leadership
Your Bear is also a member of a Cub Scout pack. M ost packs
are made up of several dens that gather monthly at a pack meeting.
The meeting usually follows a suggested theme, and it’s a time for
boys to be recognized for their accomplishments during the month,
to perform skits and songs they have learned in den meetings, and
to have fun with the entire family.
Packs are led by a Cubmaster and pack committee. Like the den
leaders, the Cubmaster and assistants are volunteer leaders—
usually family members of boys in the pack. The pack committee
makes plans for pack meetings and activities and takes care of the
“business” items that are necessary for a pack to operate
smoothly.
Each pack is sponsored by a chartered organization. This is a
community organization that has applied for and received a charter
from the Boy Scouts of America National Council to operate the
Scouting program. The chartered organization may be a school,
service club, religious group, or other group interested in youth.
The chartered organization sponsors the pack, approves the
leadership of the pack, provides a meeting place, and operates the
pack within the guidelines and policies of that organization and the
Boy Scouts of America.
Your Bear’s Advancement
In Scouting, advancement is the process by which a member
meets certain requirements and earns recognition. The Bear
advancement program is a blend of activities that boys complete in
their den meetings as well as at home with their families.
If your son is a new Cub Scout, the first step in the
advancement process is to earn the Bobcat badge (see page 16).
The Bobcat requirements serve to orient a new Scout to the ideals
and symbols of Scouting. When all of the Bobcat requirements
have been completed, your boy becomes eligible to receive his
Bobcat badge in a pack ceremony.
As a Bear, your son will work toward earning the Bear rank.
This rank is for those boys who are in the third grade or are 9 years
old. All the Cub Scout ranks (Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and
Arrow of Light) are tailored for a grade and the corresponding age
level. To advance, Bears work on the adventures described in this
handbook, some required and some elective. As your son
completes each requirement in an adventure to the best of his
ability, you or another caring adult will sign the space marked
“Akela’s OK.” His den leader will sign where it says, “Den
Leader’s OK.” If the requirement is completed in a den meeting,
the den leader may sign both places.
Akela means “good leader” and is an important part of Cub
Scouting. Akela can be you, a den leader, a teacher, or another
important adult. Scouts can track their requirements in the Bear
Adventure Tracking section found at the back of the book. As boys
advance, they earn adventure loops and pins to mark their
progress. These items will be presented to them during a ceremony
at a pack or den meeting. It is important for boys to be recognized
for the good work they do.
Do Your Best
Your Bear can keep track of his adventures using the Bear
Adventure Tracking on page 291 of this handbook. This provides
encouragement and helps him see his progress toward the Bear
rank. Whenever possible, adventure requirements are written in a
way that allows them to be customized for each boy and den.
Boys are never “tested” or placed in a position where they may
not be successful. If a Cub Scout has participated and done his best
to satisfy a requirement, then he has met the standard for
advancement in Cub Scouts. It is up to his parent and den leader to
gauge whether he has offered his best effort.
If a Bear is unable to participate in a den or pack activity due to
an illness or conflict, you may work with him to complete the
requirements to the best of his ability, but please make every effort
to help him attend each meeting so he can get the full benefit of the
Cub Scouting program.
If your Bear has an intellectual or physical disability that
prevents him from attempting a requirement, talk to your den
leader and Cubmaster about finding an alternative.
Bear Badge
The Bear badge is awarded when boys have completed the
following:
1. Complete each of the following Bear required adventures with
your den or family:
2. Complete one Bear elective adventure of your den or family’s
choosing.
3. 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.*
*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.
Family participation is an integral part of the advancement
process, and there are many chances to join in activities that are
age-appropriate for your child. You may sign the “Akela’s OK” in
his handbook each time he finishes a requirement, and you should
always notify the den leader when a requirement is completed at
home.
The Bear badge is presented during a special ceremony at a
pack meeting to each boy’s parent or guardian, who in turn
presents it to the Scout. The badge is worn on the left uniform
pocket. (See page 12 or inside the back cover.)
Scouting and Duty to God
The Boy Scouts of America has always held steadfastly to the
principle, embodied in the Scout Oath, that a Scout has a duty to
God. The BSA does not promote any specific religion, and has
always embraced all faiths. We do encourage youth members and
their families to be active in their own faith, in keeping with the
BSA’s Declaration of Religious Principle.
It naturally follows that the leadership for your son’s spiritual
development, both within and outside Cub Scouting, must come
primarily from your home and your family’s religious leaders. Your
son will look to you as his example of how to learn and perform
his duty to God.
The adventures related to duty to God in each rank of the Cub
Scouting program provide support, and each boy has the
opportunity to earn the religious emblem of his faith. The emblem
is created and presented by your son’s religious group. M ost of the
world’s religions have an emblem of their faith. However,
alternative requirements are available for boys whose faith
institutions do not have an emblem or whose families are not
affiliated with an organized religious group.
In addition, the staff at your BSA local council service center
should be able to help. M any local councils and districts offer
organized opportunities for Scouts to earn their religious emblems
while meeting and sharing fellowship with other Scouts of their
faith.
You can also find information on the Internet at
www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-879_WB.pdf.
Welcome to a fun and exciting year of Cub Scouting, Bear! You
will go on adventures, exploring the world around you with other
Bears in your den. You will play games, make fun things, learn
about wildlife, and spend lots of time outdoors. Best of all, you’ll
even earn awards while having all this fun.
Cub Scouting
Do you know how many years Cub Scouting has been around?
Cub Scouting began in 1930, which means it is now more than 80
years old. Can you imagine how many boys have been Cub Scouts
in all those years? If you said “tens of millions,” you would be
right.
Lord Baden-Powell founded the Scouting movement in 1907.
Over time, a program developed to include younger boys.
Baden-Powell liked the stories in The Jungle Book by Rudyard
Kipling, and he thought many of the characters were fun and
playful, just like Cub Scouts. He also knew it was important for
the boys to have a wise leader like Akela, the wolf. Akela lets
M owgli, the boy, join the wolf pack. M aybe you also know about
Baloo the bear, who helps teach M owgli the laws of the jungle so
he can live among the animals. To this day, we have names like
Akela and Baloo, and words like den and pack, in Cub Scouting.
That’s our way of remembering how Cub Scouting began with The
Jungle Book.
Your Bear Leaders
As a Bear Scout, you have several people who you can call
“Akela.” These include the den leader, the assistant den leader, and
your parent or guardian. Akela can be anyone who is older than
you and a wise teacher, just like Akela in The Jungle Book. These
leaders help you to learn new things, and they can even help you
find new ways to use what you have already learned! Akela will
also sign your adventure requirements in the handbook when you
complete them.
Did you know you can also help lead your den by becoming a
Bear denner? The denner is a Scout chosen by the members of his
den to help the den leader and den chief at meetings and outings.
He serves for about one to two months. If you’re elected to be the
denner, do your best.
Your Bear Den and Den Meetings
Being a Bear in the Boy Scouts of America means that you
belong to a den of boys who are Bears just like you! These boys
are in the same grade or are the same age as you, and you all come
together in “den meetings” a few times a month. In these meetings
you will work on the Bear adventures, earning awards, playing
games, and making fun things with the rest of the den.
Your Pack Meetings
You, your family, and your den also go to a monthly pack
meeting. This is a meeting for all the boys in all the dens in the
pack to get together at the same time. It’s a chance to tell others
about the hard work your den has done on the adventure that
month, and also a time for awards and seeing what other Scouts in
the pack are doing, at all different rank levels!
Your Bear Uniform
Your uniform is an important part of being a Cub Scout.
Wearing it lets people know that you belong to a Bear den and a
pack and, most important, you belong to the Boy Scouts of
America! You should wear the uniform to den meetings, pack
meetings, and any special activities you participate in as a Bear.
The official uniform for Cub Scouts includes blue Cub Scout
pants or shorts and shirt with insignia for your rank. Each rank has
its own neckerchief and slide in the rank colors and a belt buckle to
be worn with the blue Cub Scout belt. Bear Scouts can also wear an
official navy-blue cap with a light blue front panel and Bear
emblem. When you wear the full Cub Scout uniform, it shows you
are a member of the team.
The pictures below show you where to put the Bear Scout
insignia on the sleeves and pockets of your uniform.
You might receive an emblem for participating in day camp or a
council popcorn sale. This is an example of “temporary insignia”
and should be worn centered on the right pocket.
The denner wears gold shoulder cords suspended from the left
shoulder of his uniform. The cords are removed when his time as
the denner ends.
Character Compass
As you work on your Bear adventures in your Bear Handbook,
you will notice this symbol:
A compass is a tool that guides a person from place to place.
Character is how we act, and it guides our entire lives. This
compass will be your guide to one or more of the 12 points of the
Scout Law. Every time you check the compass, it will remind you
of how the activities in each adventure are related to the Scout Law.
This may also help you think about how the points of the Scout
Law guide our way in Cub Scouting and in daily life. Those points
are all different, and each one is a treasure for you to find!
The Outdoor Code
M uch of Scouting, including Cub Scouting, happens outside.
For more than 60 years, the Outdoor Code has been a guide for
Scouts in the outdoors. Remember to do your best by showing
respect for the outdoors and by learning and upholding the
Outdoor Code.
THE OUTDOOR CODE
As an American, I will do my best to—
Be clean in my outdoor manners,
Be careful with fire,
Be considerate in the outdoors, and
Be conservation-minded.
Being clean in your outdoor manners, careful with fire, and
considerate means you can enjoy the outdoors in ways that do no
harm to the environment. Being conservation-minded encourages
the protection and thoughtful use of natural resources and doing
your part to improve the condition of the land and the
environment.
As a Cub Scout, you will learn to use the Leav e No Trace
Principles for Kids to help you take care of an area where you hike
or camp.
Leave no Trace Principles for Kids*
1. Know Before You Go. Find out about the place you’re going to
camp ahead of time. Are there rules you need to know about?
Are any activities against the rules? Is water available? Do you
need to bring anything special?
2. Choose the Right Path. Always walk on trails, even if that
means getting your boots muddy. Don’t take shortcuts. Set up
tents in marked camping areas.
3. Trash Your Trash. Use bathroom facilities when available.
Follow campground rules for handling dishwater. Pack out all
your trash unless the campground has trash pickup.
4. Leave What You Find. Leave any natural treasures where you
find them so other campers can enjoy them, too. If you want a
souvenir of your campout, take a picture. A good saying to
remember is “Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but
pictures, kill nothing but time.”
5. Be Careful With Fire. Cook on a camp stove or grill whenever
possible. It’s easier and less messy than cooking over an open
fire. Only build fires in designated fire rings. Always have
someone keep an eye on your fire until it is dead out.
6. Respect Wildlife. Travel quietly and give animals enough space
that you don’t disturb them. Getting too close to an animal can
potentially hurt the animal and you. Take pictures from a safe
distance. You’re visiting the animal’s home, so be considerate.
7. Be Kind to Other Visitors. Be respectful of other visitors by
keeping noise down and not entering other groups’ campsites
without permission. Be polite to other people you meet. Give
them the respect you expect from them.
To help you remember the Outdoor Code and the Leave No
Trace Principles for Kids, you can find them in the back of your
handbook.
*The member-driven Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people
how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. This copyrighted information has been
reprinted with permission from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor
Ethics: www.LNT.org.
If you haven’t already earned your Bobcat badge, you will need
to start your Cub Scouting adventures by learning what it takes to
become a Bobcat.
Read through the Bobcat requirements and practice several
times what you have learned. When you think that you are ready,
share what you’ve learned with your family, your den leader, and
with your den at a pack meeting. Then give yourself a pat on the
back and congratulate yourself on earning your Bobcat badge.
BOBCAT REQUIREMENTS
1. Learn and say the S cout Oath, with help if
needed.
2. Learn and say the S cout Law, with help if
needed.
3. S how the Cub S cout sign. Tell what it means.
4. S how the Cub S cout handshake. Tell what it
means.
5. S ay the Cub S cout motto. Tell what it means.
6. S how the Cub S cout salute. Tell what it
means.
7. With your parent or guardian, complete the
exercises in the pamphlet How to Protect Your
Children From Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide.
1 | Learn and say the Scout Oath, with help if
needed.
One of the most important parts of that is to understand that
all members of the Boy Scouts of America believe in, live by, and
often repeat the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. We learn those
words and believe in them as a way to live our lives and be good
members of our families, our communities, and the Boy Scouts of
America!
S cout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the S cout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
The Meaning of the S cout Oath
On My Honor I Will Do My Best
Saying “On my honor” is like saying “I promise.” It means that
you will do your best to do what the Scout Oath says.
The S cout Oath has three promises. Let’s look at what they
mean.
To Do My Duty To God and My Country and To
Obey The Scout Law
A duty is something you are expected to do. At home, you
might be expected to make up your bed or take out the trash. You
also have duties to God and to your country. You do your duty to
God by following the teachings of your family and religious
leaders. You do your duty to your country by being a good citizen
and obeying the law. You also promise to live by the 12 points of
the Scout Law, which are described on the next page.
To Help Other People at All Times
M any people need help. A friendly smile and a helping hand
make life easier for others. By helping other people, you are doing
a Good Turn and making our world a better place.
To Keep Myself Physically Strong, Mentally
Awake, and Morally Straight
The last part of the Scout Oath is about taking care of yourself.
You stay physically strong when you eat the right foods and get
plenty of exercise. You stay mentally awake when you work hard
in school, learn all you can, and ask questions. You stay morally
straight when you do the right thing and live your life with
honesty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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