BEAR NEWS

WELCOME TO THE BEAR TRAIL
Any boy may earn Bear achievements and electives if he is in the third grade, or is nine years old. To earn the Bear badge, a boy must complete 12 of the 24 specified achievements listed below. He can select the ones he wants to do from four different groups: God, Country, Family, and Self. The Progress Towards Ranks badge is available as an incentive during the Bear program to encourage a Cub on his achievement work. Details regarding the completion of the achievements and associated electives can be found in the BSA Bear Cub Scout Book (No. 33107, 1998.) When a boy finishes an achievement, he will need to have an adult member of his family sign and date his book. He will then take the book to the next den meeting and his den leader will record it on the Cub Scout (Den) Advancement Chart and initial his book. When he has done 12 Bear achievements, he becomes a Bear Cub Scout. A boy may count any extra achievement requirements he earns as arrow point credits. If a Bear-aged boy is new to Cub Scouting, he must complete the Bobcat trail before beginning work on the Bear achievements.
THE BEAR ACHIEVEMENTS
GOD (Do ONE of the following)
1. 2.	WAYS WE WORSHIP - Practice your religion as you are taught in your home, church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious community. EMBLEMS OF FAITH - Earn the religious emblem of your faith.
COUNTRY (Do THREE of the following)
3. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.	WHAT MAKES AMERICA SPECIAL? (Do requirement "a" AND 3 of the rest - (4 total) Write or tell what makes America special to you. With the help of your family or den leader, find out about two Americans. Tell the things they did or are doing to improve our way of life. Find out something about the old homes near the place where you live. Go and see two of them. Find out where places of historical interest in or near your town are located. Go and visit one of them with your family or den. Choose a state; it can be your favorite one or your home state. Name the state bird, tree, and flower. Describe its flag. Give the date it was admitted to the union. Be a member of the color guard in a flag ceremony for your den or pack. Display the U.S. flag in your home or fly it on three national holidays.
4. a. b. c.	TALL TALES - Do ALL 3 requirements. Tell in your own words what folklore is. List some folklore stories, folksongs, or historical legends from your own state or part of the country. (See handbook for ideas.) Name at least five stories about American folklore. Point out on a United States map where they happened. (See handbook for ideas.) Read two folklore stories and tell your favorite one to your den.
5. a. b. c. d. e.	SHARING YOUR WORLD WITH WILDLIFE - Do 4 of the following. Choose a bird or animal that you like and find out how it lives. Make a poster showing what you have learned. Build or make a bird feeder or bird house. Explain what a wildlife conservation officer does. Visit one of the following: Zoo, Nature center, Wildlife refuge, Game preserve. Name one animal that has become extinct in the last 100 years. Tell why animals become extinct. Name one animal that is on the Endangered Species List. (Revised for 1998)
6. a. b. c. d. e. f.	TAKE CARE OF YOUR PLANET - Do 3 of the following. Save 5 pounds of glass or aluminum, or 1 month of newspapers. Turn them in at a recycling center or use your community's recycling service. Plant a tree in your yard, or on the grounds of the group that operates your Cub Scout pack, or in a park or other public place. Be sure to get permission first. Call city or county officials or your trash hauling company and find out what happens to your trash after it is hauled away. Do a water usage survey in your home. Note the ways water is used. Look for any dripping faucets. Discuss with an adult in your family the ways your family uses energy. Find out more about your family's use of electricity.
7. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.	LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A BIG JOB - Do 4 of the following. Make a set of your own fingerprints. Make a plaster cast of a shoeprint. Check the doors and windows of your home. Visit your local sheriff's office or police station. Be sure you know where to get help in your neighborhood. Be sure fire and police numbers are listed by the phone at your home. Know what you can do to help law enforcement.
FAMILY
8. a. b. c. d. e. f.	THE PAST IS EXCITING AND IMPORTANT - Do 3 of the following. Visit your library or newspaper office. Ask to see back issues of newspapers or an almanac. Find someone who was a Cub Scout a long time ago. Talk with him about what Cub Scouting was like then. Start or add-to an existing pack scrapbook. Trace your family back through your grandparents or great grandparents; or, talk to a grandparent about what it was like when they were younger. Find out some history about your community. Write in a journal for 2 weeks.
9. a. b. c. d. e. f.	WHAT'S COOKING? - Do 4 of the following. With an adult, bake cookies. With an adult, make snacks for the next den meeting Prepare one part of your breakfast, one part of your lunch, and one part of your supper. Make a list of the 'junk' foods you eat. Discuss "junk" food with your parent or teacher. Make some trail food for a hike. (New for 1998) Make a dessert for your family.
10. a. b.	FAMILY FUN - Do BOTH of these requirements. Go on a trip with members of your family. (See handbook for ideas.) Have a "family-make-and-do" night.
11. a. b. c. d. e.	BE READY! - Do the first 4; the last one is recommended, but not required. Tell what to do in case of accident in the home. A family member needs help. Someone's clothes catch on fire. (See handbook) Tell what to do in case of a water accident. (See handbook) Tell what to do in case of a school bus accident. (See handbook) Tell what to do in case of a car accident. (See handbook) Have a health checkup by a physician (optional).
12. a. b. c. d. e.	FAMILY OUTDOOR ADVENTURE - Do 3 of the following. Go camping with your family. Go on a hike with your family. Have a picnic with your family. Attend an outdoor event with your family. Plan your outdoor family day.
13. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.	SAVING WELL, SPENDING WELL - Do 4 of the following. Go grocery shopping with a parent or other adult member of your family. Compare prices of different brands of the same item. Check the prices at different stores. Read the ads in your newspaper. Set up a savings account. Keep a record of how you spend money for 2 weeks. Pretend you are shopping for a car for your family. Discuss family finances with a parent or guardian. Play a board game with your family that involves the use of make-believe money. With an adult, figure out how much it costs for each person in your home to eat one meal.
SELF (Do FOUR of the following)
14. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.	RIDE RIGHT - Do requirement a and THREE more. (Total of 4) Know the rules for bike safety. If your town requires a bicycle license, be sure to get one. (See handbook for rules.) Learn to ride a bike, if you haven't by now. Show that you can follow a winding course for 60 feet doing sharp left and right turns, a U-turn, and an emergency stop. Keep your bike in good shape. Identify the parts of a bike that should be checked often. Change a tire on a bicycle. Protect your bike from theft. Use a bicycle lock. Ride a bike for 1 mile without rest, and be sure to obey all traffic rules. Plan and take a family bike hike.
15. a. b. c.	GAMES, GAMES, GAMES! - Do 2 of the following. Set up the equipment and play any two of these outdoor games with your family or friends. Backyard Golf Badminton Croquet Sidewalk Shuffleboard Kickball Softball Tetherball Horseshoes Volleyball Play two organized games with your den. Select a game your den has never played. Explain the rules. Tell them how it is played, then play it with them.
16. a. b. c.	BUILDING MUSCLES - Do ALL of the following. Do physical fitness stretching exercises. Then do sit-ups, push-ups, the standing long jump, and softball throw. With a friend, compete in at least six different two-person contests. (See handbook for examples.) Compete with your den or pack in the crab relay, gorilla relay, 30-yard dash, and kangaroo relay.
17. a. b. c. d. e. f.	INFORMATION, PLEASE - Do requirement a and THREE more of the following. With an adult in your family, select a TV show. Watch it together. Play a game of charades at your Den meeting or with your family at home. Visit a newspaper office, or TV or radio station and talk to a news reporter. Use a computer to get information. Write, spell check, and print out a report on what you learned. (Revised for 1998) Write a letter to a company that makes something you use. Use E-mail or the US Postal Service. (Revised for 1998) Talk with one of your parents or another family member about how getting and giving facts fits into his or her job.
18. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.	JOT IT DOWN - Do 5 of the following. Make a list of the things you want to do today. Check them off when you have done them. Write two letters to relatives or friends. Keep a daily record of your activities for 2 weeks. Write an invitation to someone. Write a story about something you have done with your family. Write a thank-you note. Write about the activities of your den.
19. a. b. c. d.	SHAVINGS AND CHIPS - Do ALL of the following. Know the safety rules for handling a knife. Show that you know how to take care of and use a pocketknife. Make a carving with a pocketknife. Work with your parent or den leader in doing this. Earn the "Whittling Chip" card.
20. a. b. c.	SAWDUST AND NAILS - Do ALL of the following. Show how to use and take care of four of these tools. (See handbook.) Build your own tool box. Use at least two tools listed in requirement 'a' to fix something.
21. a. b. c. d. e. f.	BUILD A MODEL - Do 3 of the following. Build a model from a kit. Build a display for one of your models. Pretend you are planning to change the furniture layout in one of the rooms in your home. Make a model of a mountain, a meadow, a canyon, or river. Go see a model of a shopping center or new building that is on display somewhere. Make a model of anything - a rocket, boat, car, or plane.
22. a. b. c. d. e. f.	TYING IT ALL UP - Do 5 of the following. Whip the ends of a rope. Tie a square know, bowline, sheet bend, two half hitches, and a slip knot. Tell how each knot is used. Learn how to keep a rope from tangling. Coil a rope. Throw it, hitting a 2-foot square marker 20 feet away. Learn a magic rope trick. Make your own rope. (See handbook for ideas!)
23. a. b. c. d. e.	SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS - Do ALL of the following. Learn the rules and how to play three team sports. Learn the rules and how to play two sports in which only one person is on each side. Take part in one team and one individual sport. Watch a sport on TV with a parent or some other member of your family. Attend a high school, college, or professional sporting event with your family or your den.
24. a. b. c. d. e.	BE A LEADER - Do 3 of the following. Help a boy join the Cub Scouts, or help a new Cub Scout through the Bobcat trail. Serve as a denner or assistant denner. Plan and conduct a den activity with the approval of your den leader. Tell two people they have done a good job. Leadership means choosing a way even when your choice is not liked by all.
When a boy has completed twelve of these twenty-four achievements through all four parts of the Bear trail, he has earned the right to wear the Bear badge. The badge should be ceremoniously presented as soon as possible at an upcoming Pack meeting. After earning his Bear badge, a boy can begin working on his Bear electives to earn his gold and silver Arrow Points.

FOLLOW BIG BEAR'S ARROW POINT TRAIL !
Now that your boy is a Bear Cub Scout he can still have lots of fun with his Bear Book! Baloo has electives for him too. Tons of 'em! Electives are not like achievements. A boy can pick any requirement he likes from the electives and do it. When he has completed 10 elective requirements he has earned his first arrow point, a gold one. After earning a Gold Arrow Point, he may complete 10 more requirements to earn a Silver Arrow Point. A Bear Cub Scout may wear as many Silver Arrow Points as he can earn under your Bear badge. When working on the achievements to earn his Bear badge, you may have seen some requirements you wanted to try but didn't. Now you can review the Achievements section of your Bear Book with your boy and use any requirement he did not count toward his Bear badge. These achievement requirements now follow the same rules as the elective requirements. Each one is a separate project. You can mix requirements from electives and unused achievements in any manner to get the ten you need for each arrow point. A Bear Cub Scout may earn arrow points from the Big Bear Cub Scout Book until he becomes a Webelos Scout. Remember this important rule: If a boy completed an achievement requirement to earn his Bear badge, he cannot use it again to earn arrow points. But there are lots more.
THE BEAR ELECTIVES
As you and your boy peruse the following list of electives for your Bear Cubs, remember that you can go back to the uncompleted requirements in the Bear Achievements section of the "Big Bear book" and work on those towards Arrow Points.
1. SPACE
A. B. C. D. E. F.		Identify two constellations and the North Star. Make a pinhole planetarium and show three constellations. Visit a planetarium. Build a model of a rocket or space satellite. Read and talk about at least one man-made satellite and one natural one. Find a picture of another planet in our solar system. Explain how it is different from Earth.
2. WEATHER
A. B. C. D. E. F.		Learn how to read a thermometer. Put a thermometer outdoors and read it at the same time every day for 2 weeks. Keep a record of the weather for each day's temperature and a description of the weather each day (fair skies, rain, fog, snow, etc.). (Revised for 1998) Build a weather vane, record wind direction for 2 weeks at the same hour. Keep a record of the weather for each day. Make a rain gauge. Find out what a barometer is and how it works. Tell your den about it. Tell what relative humidity means. Learn to identify three different kinds of clouds. Estimate their height. Watch the weather forecast on TV every day for 2 weeks. Describe three different symbols used on weather maps. Keep a record of how many times the weather forecast is correct.
3. RADIO
A. B.		Build a crystal or diode radio. Check with your local craft or hobby shop or the nearest Scout shop that carries a crystal radio kit. It is all right to use a kit. Make and operate a battery powered radio following the directions with the kit.
4. ELECTRICITY
A. B. C. D. E.		Wire a buzzer or doorbell. Make an electric buzzer game. Make a simple bar or horseshoe electromagnet. Use a simple electric motor. Make a crane with an electromagnetic lift.
5. BOATS
A. B. C. D. E. F.		Help an adult rig and sail a real boat. Help an adult repair a real boat or canoe. Know the flag signals for storm warnings. Help an adult repair a boat dock. Know the rules of boat safety. With an adult, demonstrate forward strokes, turns, and backstrokes. Row a boat around a 100-yard course involving two turns.
6. AIRCRAFT
A. B. C. D. E. F. G.		Identify five different kinds of aircraft in flight, if possible, or from models or photos. Ride in an airplane (commercial or private). Explain how a hot air balloon works. Build and fly a model airplane. (You can use a kit. Every time you do this differently, it counts as a completed project.) Sketch and label an airplane showing the direction of forces acting on it (lift, drag, and load). What are some of the things a helicopter can do that other kinds of airplanes can't? Make a list. Draw or cut out a picture of a helicopter and label the parts. Build and display a scale airplane model. You may use a kit or build it from plans.
7. THINGS THAT GO
A. B. C. D.		Make a scooter or a Cubmobile. Know the safety rules. Make a windmill. Make a waterwheel. Make an invention of your own design that goes.
8. CUB SCOUT BAND
A. B. C. D.		Make and play a homemade musical instrument - cigarbox banjo, washtub bull fiddle, a drum or rhythm set, tambourine. etc. Learn to play two familiar tunes on an ocarina, a harmonica, or a tonette. Play in a den band using homemade or regular musical instruments. Play at a pack meeting. Play two tunes on any recognized band or orchestra instrument.
9. ART
A. B.		Do an original art project and show it at a pack meeting. Every project you do counts as one requirement. Here are some ideas for art projects: * Mobile or wind sculpture. * Silhouette * Acrylic Painting * Watercolor painting * Collage * Mosaic * Clay sculpture * Silk screen picture Visit an art museum or picture gallery with your den or family.
10. MASKS
A. B. C.		Make a simple papier-mâchè mask. Make an animal mask. Make a clown mask.
11. PHOTOGRAPHY
	A. B. C. D.	Practice holding a camera still in one position. Learn to push the shutter button without moving the camera. Do this without film in the camera until you have learned how. Look through the viewfinder and see what your picture will look like. Make sure that everything you want in your picture is in the frame of your viewfinder. Take five pictures of the same subject in different kinds of light. 1. Subject in direct sun with direct light. 2. Subject in direct sun with side light. 3. Subject in direct sun with back light. 4. Subject in shade on a sunny day,. 5. Subject on a cloudy day. Put your pictures to use. 1. Mount a picture on cardboard for display. 2. Mount on cardboard and give it to a friend. 3. Make three pictures that show how something happened (tell a story) and write one sentence explanation for each. Make a picture in your house. 1. With available light. 2. Using a flash attachment or photo flood (bright light).
12. NATURE CRAFTS
	A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H.	Make shadow prints or blueprints of three kinds of leaves. Make a display of eight different animal tracks with an eraser print. Collect, press, and label ten kinds of leaves. Build a water scope, and identify five types of water life. (New for 1998) Collect eight kinds of plant seeds and label. Collect, mount, and label 10 kinds of rocks or minerals. Collect, mount, and label five kinds of shells. Build and use a bird caller. (New for 1998)
13. MAGIC
	A. B. C. D.	Learn and show three magic tricks. With your den, put on a magic show for someone else. Learn and show four puzzles. Learn and show three rope tricks.
14. LANDSCAPING
	A. B. C. D.	With an adult, help take care of your lawn or help take care of the lawn of a public building, school, or church. Seed bare spots. Get rid of weeds. Pick up litter. Agree ahead of time on what you will do. Make a sketch of a landscape plan for the area right around your home. Talk it over with a parent or den leader. Show what trees, shrubs and flowers you could plant to make the area look better. Take part in a project with your family, den, or pack to make your neighborhood or community more beautiful. These might be having a cleanup party, painting, cleaning and painting trash barrels, and removing ragweed. (Each time you do this differently, it counts as a completed project.) Build a greenhouse and grow twenty plants from seed. You can use a package of garden seeds, or use beans, pumpkin seeds, or watermelon seeds.
15. WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION
	A. B. C. D. E.	Dig a hole or find an excavation project and describe the different layers of soil you see and feel. (Do not enter an excavation area alone or without permission.) "Explore 3 different kinds of earth by conducting a soil experiment. (New for 1998) Visit a burned-out forest or prairie area, or a slide area, with your den or your family. Talk to a soil and water conservation officer, or a Forest Ranger about how the area will be planted and cared for, to grow again the way it was before the fire or slide. What is erosion? Find out the kinds of grass, trees, or ground cover you need to plant to help limit erosion. As a den, visit a lake, stream, river, or ocean (whichever is nearest where you live). Plan a den project to help clean up this important source of water. Name four kinds of water pollution.
16. FARM ANIMALS
	A. B. C. D.	Take care of a farm animal. Decide with your parent the things you will do and how long you will do them. Name and describe six kinds of farm animals and tell their common uses. Read a book about farm animals and tell your den about it. With your family or den, visit a livestock exhibit at a county or state fair.
17. REPAIRS
	A. B. C. D. E.	With the help of an adult, fix an electric plug or an electric appliance. Use glue or epoxy to repair something. Remove and clean a drain trap. Refinish or repaint something. Agree with an adult in your family on some repair job to be done and do it. (Each time you do this differently, it counts as a completed project.)
18. BACKYARD GYM
	A. B. C. D.	Build and use an outdoor gym with at least three items from this list. 1. Balance Board 2. Trapeze 3. Tire Walk 4. Tire Swing 5. Tetherball 6. Climbing Rope 7. Running long jump area. Build three outdoor toss games. Plan an outdoor game or gym day with your den (this can be part of a pack activity). Put your plans on paper. Hold an open house for your backyard gym.
19. SWIMMING
	A. B. C. D. E.	Jump feet first into water over your head, swim 25 feet on the surface, stop, turn sharply, and swim back. (Revised for 1998) Swim on your back, using a resting stroke, for 30 feet. Rest by floating on your back, using as little motion as possible for at least one minute. Tell what is meant by the buddy system. Know the basic rules of safe swimming. (Revised for 1998) Do a racing dive from edge of pool and swim 60 feet, using a racing stroke. (You might need to make a turn.)
20. SPORTS
	A. B. C. D. E.	In archery, know the safety rules. Know how to shoot correctly. Put six arrows into a 4-foot target at a distance of 15 yards. Make an arrow holder. In skiing, know the Skier's Safety and Courtesy Code. Demonstrate walking and kick turn, climbing with sidestep or herringbone, snowplow stop, stem turn, four linked snowplow or stem turns, and straight running in a downhill position, or a cross-country position, and show how to recover from a fall. Ice skating, know the safety rules. From a standing start, skate forward 150 feet; come to a complete stop within 20 feet. Skate around a corner clockwise and counterclockwise without coasting. Show a turn from forward to backward. Skate backward 50 feet. In track, show how to make a sprint start. Run the 50- yard dash in 10 seconds or less. Show how to do the standing long jump, the running long jump, or high jump. (Be sure to have a soft landing area.) In roller skating (with conventional on in-line skates), know the safety rules. From a standing start, skate forward 150 feet; come to a complete stop within 20 feet. Skate around a corner clockwise and counterclockwise without coasting and show a turn from forward to backward. Skate backward 50 feet. Wear the proper protective clothing. (Revised for 1998)
21. SALES
	A. B.	Take part in a council or pack-sponsored, money-earning sales program. Keep track of the sales you make yourself. When the sale is over, add up the sales you have made. (Revised for 1998) Help with a garage sale or rummage sale. This can be with your family, a neighbor, or a church, school, or pack event.
22. COLLECTING THINGS
	A. B. C.	Start a stamp collection. You can get information about stamp collecting at any U.S. Post Office. Mount and display a collection of patches, coins, or other things to show at a pack meeting. This can be any kind of collection. Every time you show a different kind of collection, it counts as one requirement. Start your own library. Keep your own books and pamphlets in order by subject. List the tittle, author, and subject of each on an index card and keep the cards in a file box, or use a computer program to store the information. (Revised for 1998)
23. MAPS
	A. B. C. D. E.	Look up your state on a U.S. map. What other states touch its borders? Find your city or town on a map of your state. How far do you live from the state capital? In which time zone do you live? How many time zones are there in the United States? Make a map showing the way from your home to your school or den meeting place. Mark a map showing the way to a place you would like to visit that is at least 50 miles from your home.
24. NATIVE AMERICAN LIFE
	A. B. C.	Native Americans lived all over what is now the United States. Find the name of the tribe who lived nearest where you live now. What is this tribe best known for? (Revised for 1998) Learn, make equipment for, and play two Native American games with members of your den. Be able to tell the rules, who won, and what the score was. Make a model of an early Native American house.