Bear Claws beltloop - Bear requirement and Whittling Chip

Bear Claws

With the new Modifications!

My son finished Bear Claws at our District Summer Camp, which was awesome. We have the same person, that comes in every year, who teaches our boys the whittling chip. He is awesome! So I took what I learned from him and taught my bear den the same way at camp. Only difference was that at day camp, our boys learned while whittling wooden neckerchief slides.  At our fall camp out, I taught my boys on soap.

OK, so to earn the Bear Claw belt loop you have to:

1. Learn about common designs of Pocketknives. You can find the 3 designs on page 33 in your bear handbook. It explains what they want you to teach them. I actually brought 2 knife designs to the camp out but I didn't have a penknife to show them. So, I made sure to show them in the book.

2. Learn knife safety and ear your whittling chip.

There is a list of knife safety rules they need to learn and live by on page 35and 36 of the handbook. Basically, they need to learn a knife is a tool and not a toy. With as many video games out there where people are stabbing of killing with knives, even some cartoons on TV, it's best they learn what NOT to do and what to do with a knife. I made sure to go over this before camp out and at the camp out before starting. I even asked questions, like is it ok to throw a knife at a tree?, Is it ok to keep using your knife while someone is standing right next to you? I made them think, I made them practice what to do if someone comes in their safety circle, I made them understand. One of the fathers was there telling them about his friend, who wanted to cut this thick rope and was cutting wrong. He said his friend ended up loosing his thumb. The kids took it seriously after hearing someone loosing a body part.

We learned the Pocketknife Pledge- located on page 36.

I brought a sharpening stone and showed them how to sharpen a knife, then had them all do it.

I brought a small block of pine wood and showed them how to make stop cuts. Then had each one do it so that they would know. 

Then we discussed first aid for knife cuts.

* When my son was a wolf, at a camp out, the bear den leader had all the boys at a table whittling wood. Out of 6 boys, 4 cut themselves within minutes  of each other. Please be prepared and make sure they know what they are doing before letting practice.

Once they know and understand the rules of knife safety, know how to take care and sharpen their knives, know how to make stop cuts and first aid, then they earned their whittling chip. I made them at least 1 pc of soap just to make sure they understood in the end before I granted their whittling chip.

Make sure they carry this pledge signed by a leader and signed by them when they carry their knife to any BSA event. People will ask to see it, if they see your scout with a knife.

Yes they get a patch too. Your scout can wear it as a temporary patch on their uniform. Or what my son did was he had me sew it on a fleece blanket that he has for camping, along with his other patches.

3. Do either a or b but they don't have to do both!
a)  Using a pocketknife, carve 2 items. My son carved 2 wooden neckerchief slides, ones that they sell at the scout shop. Here is the arrow he worked on at camp.

Of Coarse when we went on our camp out, I had bars of soap because it was cheaper and I thought it would be easier. So each boy was given 2 bars of soap to carve. It tells you on pages 39-41 how to carve the soap. I didn't like it so much because the soap kept sticking to the blade and we had to keep cleaning them. Also, the smell was kind of aggravating from the soap the whole time you were carving. I let the boys design what they wanted to carve, that way it was more fun. I tried the bear but I only did a bear head. Turned out OK.

If you don't want the boys carving 2 items, they can do section b!

b) With a pocketknife, safely perform each of these tasks:

(1) Demonstrate how to cut a piece of rope, twine or fishing line.

(2)Open a sealed box without damaging the contents

(3)Open a can with the can opener tool on a pocketknife

(4)Remove and replace the screws on an object with the screwdriver tool on a pocketknife

(5)Open a letter

Remember they do either A or B , they don't have to do both. 

Congrats, your den has completed their Bear Claw requirement AND earned their Whittling Chip!