Fur, Feathers, and Ferns- Bear Scout Requirement

Fur, Feathers and Ferns

Bear Scout Requirements

* The modification version with pages from the Handbook that you can find the activity on.

Complete Requirement 1 plus 3 others

Requirement 1

While hiking or walking for 1 mile, identify 6 signs that any mammals, birds, insects, reptiles or plants are living near the place you choose to hike or walk. Pg 73-77

* We did this during our Spring Camp out. The older boys needed a 3 mile hike, so all scouts went with. It's always interesting to see what they kids will find.

Now that you did Requirement 1, you need to do 3 others from the list below.

2. Visit 1 of the following: zoo, wildlife refuge, nature center, aviary, game preserve, local conservation area, wildlife rescue group, or a fish hatchery. Described what you learned. 

Pg 81

3. Name 1 animal that has become extinct in the last 100 years AND 1 animal that is currently endangered. Explain what caused their declines. Pg 78-80 in handbook

4. Observe wildlife from a distance. Describe what you saw. Pg 82-83

5. Use a magnifying glass to examine plants more closely. Describe what you saw through the magnifying glass that you could not see without it. Pg 84-85

6. Learn about composting and how vegetable waste can be turned into fertilizer for plants.

Pg 86-87

7. Plant a vegetable or herb garden. Pg 88-89

*My scouts did # 3, 4 and 5. We were camping so I packed binoculars and a magnifying glass . The kids in 3rd grade learned about extinct and endangered animals so we just reviewed what they had learned. Now for the extinct, it has to be in the last 100 years but they will all try to say dinosaurs..  too funny.

Remember have fun with it. Kids at this age still get bored easy and their attention span while outdoors is short.Try to keep each requirement as short as possible. And if you know they will finish this while on camp out, make sure to have their belt loops so that they can get while everyone is around the fire.

Bear Cub Scout Fellowship and Duty to God- requirement

Fellowship and Duty to God

*With the modifications

To all my Den Leaders out there, I told my den that they had to work on this at home. With as many different types of religions out there, I wanted the kids to know what their family practices.

Complete the following requirements:

1. Discuss with your parent, guardian, den leader or other caring adult what it means to do your Duty to God. Tell how you do your duty to God in your daily life.

*My son basically told me that he tries to be nice to everyone. He helps kids at school that don't understand the assignment ( I said that was fine as long as it's NOT a test or quiz), he sticks up for his friends, he is polite to the teachers and people that work there, ect When I asked how that was a Duty to God, he said God was all about Love and that we should help people that need it.I was happy with that answer.

2. Complete at least 1 of the following:

A. Identify a person whose faith you admire, and discuss this person with your family

B. With a family member, provide service to a place of worship or a spiritual community, school, or community organization that puts into practice your ideals of duty to God and strengthens your fellowship with others.

* LJ chose to do option A. He learned about the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr in school and that's who he chose to admire. I was once again, happy with his answer.

3. Complete at least 1 of the following:

A. Earn the religious emblem of your faith that is appropriate for your age, if you have not already done so.

B. 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 2 things to do and practice doing them for 2 weeks.

*As I am writing this, we are in the middle of our 2 weeks. LJ chose to help someone at school to help understand the math. He also chose to pray every night. If you choose the religious emblem of your faith and need help, contact your den leader on how to do that.

Congrats you are done with Fellowship and Duty to God! Your scout or scouts is 1 step closer to reaching their bear rank. Remember, try to have fun with this. 

Bear Necessities- Bear Requirement

Bear Necessities

* The modification Requirements!

Ok, You have to complete requirements 1-4. 5 and 6 are optional!

Requirement 1- While working on your Bear badge, attend 1 of the following:

A. A daytime or overnight campout with your family or pack.

B. An outdoor activity with your den or pack

C. Day Camp

D. Resident Camp

* My son always attends the District Day/Twilight camp every summer. But if you have kids that just signed up and didn't get a chance, the pack camping trip will do just fine. We camp twice a year. And this last time, he camped with another camp that is bigger and the kids had fun. Or as a den, you can always go on a hike, play an outdoor game, or even do some experiments outside. Even planting trees can be done while working on your conservation award. Anything outside that is BSA approved.

2. Make a list of items you should take along on the activity selected in Requirement 1.

* If you are hiking or camping, make sure to take you 6 essentials. Also, what else do they need? We went to our Spring campout, with everything we thought we needed. In the 2 hour drive it took to get to the national park, the temp dropped from high 70's to 42 degrees with lots of wind. The only thing that we packed that was for cooler weather were hoodies. Needless to say, when we got there, we didn't even unpack our tent. We stayed for 4 hours and headed home afterward. Just too cold for us without the right equipment. Funny thing, no body was really prepared.

You can tell there is fog on the water. We were freezing cold! I had a pair of gardening gloves that were my son's in the car and that what he used to try to keep his hands warm. The wind was over 10 miles an hour with drops of water in that wind, making the 42 degree weather feel even colder.

3. Make a list of equipment that the group should bring along in addition to each Scout's personal gear for the activity selected in Requirement 1.
* We talked about firewood, snacks, water, lanterns, ect

4. Help set up a tent. Determine a good spot for the tent and explain to your den leader why you picked it.
*I had a Bear parent ask why his child had to help set up their tent. Your in Cub Scouts, where we try to make it all about family.  In 2 years, my son will be with Boy Scouts ( hopefully) and he will have to know how to do this himself. Plus it's a bonding thing. He is helping, not doing it his self. " Do your Best"


Ok, those were the 4 you HAD to do. Now the next 2 are just for fun if you want to do this.

Option 1- Demonstrate how to tie two half hitches and explain what the hitch is used for.
* Once my son is done earning his Bear patch, I will work with him on this knot. Until then, I put it on the to-do- list. Maybe on a rainy day?

Option 2- Learn how to read a themometer and a barometer. Keep track of the temperature and baromtric pressure readings and the actual weather at the same time everyday for 7 days.
* Another one I would like my child to learn. But I am probably going to make it a field trip to the weather museum 1st, then learn about this. And we will probably make it into a STEM thing.

Well that's it. Really, this was the easiest for us to do. We had a lot of fun working on Bear Necessities!  Remember, you want to make each lesson fun as possible but educational too!

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!