Bear Rank
Third grade: six required Adventures and any two of seventeen electives. Bobcat comes first, Fellowship can be earned through a religious emblem, Chef Tech needs Whittling done first, and Bears Afloat needs the swimmer test before its paddling.
The plan behind this
Bear is the third-grade rank
Bear is for youth who have finished second grade or are 8 (Guide to Advancement 4.1.1.0).
What the badge takes
Six required Adventures and any two electives, in any order except that Bobcat is designed to come first (4.1.1.1). Belt loops are given as each Adventure is finished; the Bear badge is presented at the next pack meeting.
| Required Adventure | Area |
|---|---|
| Bobcat Bear | Character & Leadership |
| Bear Strong | Personal Fitness |
| Standing Tall | Personal Safety |
| Fellowship | Family & Reverence |
| Paws for Action | Citizenship |
| Bear Habitat | Outdoors |
Chef Tech needs Whittling first
The Chef Tech page says a Cub Scout must have completed Whittling before starting Chef Tech. Whittling is an elective too, so a Bear who wants Chef Tech is really choosing both, and that pair fills the two elective slots on its own.
Seventeen electives: check what each one needs
| Needs | Electives |
|---|---|
| A pack or council event | Let's Camp Bear (a campout), Race Time Bear (a Pinewood Derby or Raingutter Regatta) |
| Water | Bears Afloat (paddling, after passing the swimmer test), Salmon Run (a supervised swim) |
| An outing | A Bear Goes Fishing, Bears on Bikes (a 30-minute ride) |
| A pocketknife | Whittling |
| Whittling first | Chef Tech |
| Summer | Summertime Fun Bear: three Cub Scout activities between May and August |
| Nothing special | Balancing Bears, Baloo the Builder, Champions for Nature Bear, Critter Care, Forensics, Marble Madness, Roaring Laughter, Super Science |
Answer the electives question and only your choices stay on the plan. More than two is fine.
The rank page also lists special electives, Archery Bear, Slingshot and BB Guns, which can only be done at approved events with qualified instructors. They have no Adventure page, so they are not drawn here.
Done at home, with a parent
- Bobcat requirement 8: the booklet *How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide*.
- Bear Strong requirement 5: reviewing the Annual Health and Medical Record.
- Standing Tall requirement 3: a family policy for digital devices.
- Fellowship: the family's faith traditions, or instead a religious emblem.
Bear Habitat is a planned walk
Requirements 1 to 8 get the den ready for a one-mile walk: the Six Essentials, a route checked on a map, the path, trash, the fire danger rating, wildlife and other visitors. Requirement 9 is the walk itself, practising Leave No Trace. Plan first, walk last.
Who signs off
For activities outside the den meeting, a parent, guardian or other trusted adult may verify that the Cub Scout did their best, and the den leader records it (4.1.0.3).
What this page is
The Bear rank drawn from Scouting America's Bear Adventures page and the twenty-three Adventure pages it links to. Each step is a short label; every Adventure links to its official page, which holds the wording that governs and suggested activities for each requirement.
Sources for this page
- Bear Adventures (Cub Scout rank page), Page last modified 2026-06-19 · Which Adventures the Bear badge of rank takes, and how many.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.1.1.0 · The six grade-based ranks, who is eligible for each, and that Cub Scouts neither go back to an earlier rank nor move ahead early.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.1.1.1 · Required and elective Adventures in any order, Bobcat designed to come first, and the badge presented at the next pack meeting.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.1.0.3 · Who approves Cub Scout advancement.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.0.0.1 · When a change to an Adventure takes effect.
Last checked against its sources on .