Bear

Bear requirements

A boy or girl who is 9 years old or is in the third grade is a Bear, and their adventures are found in the Bear Handbook.

Like all other new Cub Scouts, a Bear must first earn their Bobcat rank. After completing the requirements for Bobcat they may go on to complete the requirements for the Wolf rank and the many electives that are offered for his or her rank.

Earning the bear rank

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:
- Bear Claws
- Bear Necessities
- Fellowship and Duty to God
- Fur, Feathers, and Ferns
- Grin and Bear It
- 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.
- 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.

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 they begin working on his Bear rank, they need to complete the requirement only one time.

A parent, guardian, or other caring adult acknowledges the completion of each achievement part by signing the scout’s handbook (Akela’s OK). The den leader also signs each scout’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 scout with the participation of their 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 scout earns the Bear badge, they will continue to meet with their den, working on additional elective adventures until they complete third grade (or turns 10 years old) and becomes a Webelos Scout.

Required Adventures