Bear Rank Advancement
Here’s How to Help Your Scout Advance!
To earn the Bear badge, a Scout must complete six required adventures, plus one elective adventure, and complete the "Protect Yourself Rules" adventure for their age.
The required adventures are:
- Bear Claws is all about pocketknife safety.
- Bear Necessities is all about camping and cooking and campfire fun.
- Fellowship and Duty to God will often be an at-home because faith beliefs in Scouting are determined by the family and everyone's duty is different.
- Fur, Feathers and Ferns is an adventure that fairly cries out "field trip", what with a one-mile walk, observing wildlife, examining plants, and planting a garden.
- Baloo the Builder is about using tools and wood tools.
- Paws for Action is all about history/patriotism, basic emergency preparedness, energy conservation and a cleanup service project.
The 9 elective adventures are A Bear Goes Fishing, Bear Picnic Basket, Critter Care, Forensics, Grin and Bear It, Marble Madness, Roaring Laughter, Salmon Run, and Super Science.
Parents/guardians or the den leader approve each requirement by signing the Scout’s handbook. Scouts receive an adventure loop on completing each adventure and, after meeting all requirements, have earned the Bear badge.
More Bear program resources are available at this Bear adventure resource page, which has a fuller Bear overview, plus the Adventure by Adventure pages that have fun den group activity ideas like simple plans, videos, websites with more activities and tips, and more – see the adventure by adventure links above for examples. You’ll also find Word versions of the Streamlined and Family Led Plans that you and your Den parents can download and tailor your Den activity to fit your parents, location and activities.
Four elective adventures may be in your Handbook, but were “retired” as of May 31, 2022 – Beat of the Drum, Make It Move, Robotics, and A World of Sound. These Adventures are no longer eligible to be an Elective Adventure counted towards earning the Bear Rank, but if you like them, you can make them part of your fun Bear activities.
