Youth Protection Requirements

Youth Protection Pamphlet



Protect Yourself Rules video

OR Earn the Protect Yourself Rules Preview Adventure for Bears

Fellowship and Duty to God

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.

  2. Complete at least one of the following:

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

    2. 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.

  3. Complete at least one of the following:

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

    2. 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 two of the items and practice them for two weeks.

Paws for Action (Duty to Country)

Complete Requirement 1 plus two others from Requirements 2-4.

  1. Learn about our nation's flag. Display it at home for one month. Say the Pledge of Allegiance and learn its meaning.

  2. Do at least one of the following.

    1. Find out about two famous Americans. Share what you learned.

    2. Find out where places of historical interest are located in or near your community, town, or city. Go and visit one of them with your family or den.

  3. Do at least two of the following.

    1. With your school or den, visit a local sheriff's office, police station, or fire department OR talk with a fire safety officer or law enforcement officer visiting your school or den. Find out what skills the officers use to do their jobs. Ask questions that will help you learn how to stay safe.

    2. Make a list of emergency numbers and discuss with your family where the list should be kept. Show your family that you know how to call for help in an emergency. Talk with your family about people who could help you if a parent is not available.

    3. With your family, develop a plan to follow in case of an emergency, and practice the plan at least three times. Your family can determine the emergency, or you can develop several plans.

  4. Do at least one of the following.

    1. Do a cleanup project that benefits your community.

    2. Participate in a patriotic community parade or other civic event that honors our country.

Fur, Feathers, and Ferns

Complete Requirement 1 plus three others.

  1. While hiking or walking for one mile, identify six signs that any mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, or plants are living near the place where you choose to hike or walk.

  2. Visit one of the following: zoo, wildlife refuge, nature center, aviary, game preserve, local conservation area, wildlife rescue group, or fish hatchery. Describe what you learned during your visit.

  3. Name one animal that has become extinct in the last 100 years and one animal that is currently endangered. Explain what caused their declines.

  4. Observe wildlife from a distance. Describe what you saw.

  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.

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

  7. Plant a vegetable or herb garden.


Baloo the Builder

Complete all of the following requirements.

  1. Discover which hand tools are the best ones to have in your tool box. Learn the rules for using these tools safely. Practice with at least four of these tools before beginning a project.

  2. Select, plan, and define the materials for the project you will complete in requirement 3.

  3. Assemble your materials, and build one useful project and one fun project using wood.

  4. Apply a finish to one of your projects.


Bear Necessities

Complete Requirements 1 - 4. Requirements 5 and 6 are optional.

  1. While working on your Bear badge, attend one of the following:

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

    2. An outdoor activity with your den or pack

    3. Day camp

    4. Resident camp

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

  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.

  4. Help set up a tent. Determine a good spot for the tent, and explain to your den leader why you picked it.

  5. Demonstrate how to tie two half hitches and explain what the hitch is used for.

  6. Learn how to read a thermometer and a barometer. Keep track of the temperature and barometric pressure readings and the actual weather at the same time every day for seven days.


Bear Claws

Complete the following requirements.

  1. Learn about three common designs of pocketknives.

  2. Learn knife safety and earn your Whittling Chip.*

  3. Do one of the following:

    1. Using a pocketknife, carve two items.

    2. 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

*One of the items carved for Bear Claws requirement 3 may be used to fulfill Whittling Chip requirement 3.


The following adventures are optional electives. Only one elective is required to earn the Bear Rank. More elective options can be found using the links at the top of this page.

Critter Care

Complete all of the following.

  1. Do one of the following:

    1. If you have a pet, make a list of tasks that you did to take care of the pet for two weeks.

    2. If you do not have a pet, research one that you would like to have and prepare a report about the care it needs.

  2. Complete one of the following:

    1. Make a poster or a PowerPoint presentation about your pet or a pet you would like to have. Share the poster or presentation with your den, pack, or family.

    2. Make a poster or PowerPoint presentation explaining three ways that animals can help people. Share the poster or presentation with your den, pack, or family.

  3. Complete at least one of the following and share with your den, pack, or family:

    1. Visit with a local veterinarian or an animal shelter caretaker. Find out what types of animals he or she might see on a regular basis and the types of care he or she gives to them.

    2. Learn about careers that involve the care of animals. What education, training, and experience are required?

Marble Madness

Complete requirements 1-4. Requirement 5 is optional.

  1. Discuss with your family or den the history of marbles, such as where and when the game began. Talk about the different sizes of marbles and what they are made of and used for.

  2. Learn about three different marble games, and learn to play one of them. Learn how to keep score. Learn and follow the rules of the game. Play the game with your family, friends, or your den.

  3. Learn four or five words that are used when talking about marbles. Tell what each of the words means and how it relates to playing marbles. Share this information with your den.

  4. Complete one of the following:

    1. With your den or family, make a marble obstacle course or marble golf course. Share what you create. Invite everyone to go through your course.

    2. Create your own game using marbles, and design rules for playing the game. Share the game you created with your den, family, or friends. Explain the rules and how to play the game.

    3. With your den or family, create a marble race track. Have at least two lanes so you can race your favorite marbles against each other.

    4. Make a marble maze.

  5. With the help of an adult, make a marble bag to hold marbles.