The Bear Electives

After completing tthe (6) Core Adventures your scout is required to complete at least (1) Elective Adventure for the Bear Rank Badge. Your Bear will be awarded a special belt loop for each adventures completed. He can earn extra belt loops by complete additional Elective Adventures.

There are 13 Elective Adventures in the Bear program:

Click Link below for the PDF Worksheet @ US Scouting Service Project Website.

Bear Elective Adventure: Baloo the Builder

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.
Learn the steps of planning a building project and how to read the instructions or drawings.
Select and build one useful project and one fun project using wood.
Learn how to finish a wood project.

Bear Elective Adventure: A Bear Goes Fishing

Discover and learn about three types of fishes in your area. Draw a color picture of each fish, record what each one likes to eat, and describe what sort of habitat each likes.
Learn about your local fishing regulations with your leader or a parent or guardian. List three of the regulations you learn about and one reason each regulation exists.
Learn about fishing equipment, and make a simple fishing pole. Practice casting at a target 30 feet away. Teach what you have learned to someone in your family, another Scout, or one of your friends.
Go on a fishing adventure, and spend a minimum of one hour trying to catch a fish. Put into practice the things you have learned about fish and fishing equipment.

Bear Elective Adventure: Bear Picnic Basket

Do the following:
- Create your own Bear Cookbook using at least five recipes you can cook or prepare either on your own or with some adult help. Include one page with information about first aid. You should include one recipe for a breakfast item, one for lunch, and one for dinner, and two recipes for nutritious snacks.
- Demonstrate an understanding of meal planning, cooking tools, cooking safety, and how to change the amounts in a recipe.
- Go on a grocery shopping trip with your den or with an adult. Check the price of different brands of one single item, and compare the price of a ready-made item with the price of the same item you would make yourself.
Do the following:
- With the help of an adult, select one food item, and follow a recipe to prepare it for your family in your kitchen. Once you have eaten, ask everyone what they liked or didn't like. Explain what you would do differently next time. Make notes on your recipe of changes you want to make so you will remember them the next time you cook. Clean up after the preparation and cooking.
- With the help of an adult, select one food item, and follow a recipe to prepare it outdoors for your family or den. Once you have eaten, ask everyone what they liked or didn't like. Explain what you would do differently next time. Make notes on your recipe of changes you want to make so you will remember them the next time you cook. Clean up after the preparation and cooking.
Select and prepare two nutritious snacks for yourself, your family, or your den.

Bear Elective Adventure: Beat of the Drum

Learn about the history and culture of American Indians who lived in your area at the time of European colonization.
Write a legend.
Make a dream catcher.
Make a craft.
Make a drum. Once your drum is complete, create a ceremonial song.
Visit an Order of the Arrow dance ceremony or American Indian event within your community.
Learn about ceremonial dances and learn dance steps.
Create a dance.

Bear Elective Adventure: Critter Care

Care for a pet for two weeks. Make a list of tasks you did to take care of the pet. If you do not have a pet, research one that you would like to have and write about the care it needs.
Learn more about your pet or a pet you would like to have. List three interesting facts that you learned about your pet.
Make a poster about your pet or a pet you would like to own. Share your poster with your den, pack, or family.
Do your best to train a pet to perform a trick or follow a simple command, and explain how you trained it. (If your pet is a hermit crab, fish, snake, or the like, you may skip this requirement.)
Tell three ways that animals can help people.
Tell what is meant by an animal being "rabid." Name some animals that could have rabies. Explain what you should do if you are near an animal that might be rabid.
Visit with a local veterinarian or animal shelter caretaker. Find out what types of animals he or she might see on a regular basis. Ask what type of education is needed to become a veterinarian or shelter caretaker. Why did he or she choose to pursue this career?

Bear Elective Adventure: Forensics

alk with your family and den about forensics and how it is used to help solve crimes.
Analyze your fingerprints.
Learn about chromatography and how it is used in solving crimes. Do an investigation using different types of black, felt-tip markers. Share your results with your den.
Do an analysis of four different substances: salt, sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch.
Make a shoe imprint.
Visit the sheriff's office or police station in your town. Find out how officers collect evidence.
Learn about the different jobs available in forensic science. Choose two, and find out what is required to work in those jobs . Share what you learned with your den.
Learn how animals are used to gather important evidence. Talk about your findings with your den.

Bear Elective Adventure: Make It Move

Create an “exploding” craft stick reaction.
Make two simple pulleys, and use them to move objects.
Make a lever by creating a seesaw using a spool and a wooden paint stirrer. Explore the way it balances by placing different objects on each end.
Do the following:
- Draw a Rube Goldberg–type machine. Include at least six steps to complete your action.
- Construct a Rube Goldberg–type machine to complete a task assigned by your den leader. Use at least two simple machines and include at least four steps.

Bear Elective Adventure: Marble Madness

Discuss with your family and 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.
Learn about three different marble games, and learn to play the marble game “ringer.” Learn how to keep score. Learn and follow the rules of the game. Play the game with your family, friends, or your den.
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.
With the help of an adult, make a marble bag to hold marbles.
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.
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.
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.
Make a marble maze.

Bear Elective Roaring Lughter

Think about what makes you laugh. Write down three things that make you laugh.
Practice reading tongue twisters.
Create your own short story. Remove some nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from the story, leaving blanks. Without telling the story, have a friend insert his or her own nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in the story you created.
With a partner, play a game that makes you laugh.
Share a few jokes with a couple of friends to make them laugh.
Practice at least two run-ons with your den, and perform them at a pack meeting or campfire program.

Bear Elective Adventure: Robotics

Identify six tasks performed by robots.
Learn about some instances where a robot could be used in place of a human for work. Research one robot that does this type of work, and present what you learn to your den.
Build a robot hand. Show how it works like a human hand and how it is different from a human hand.
Build your own robot.
Visit a place that uses robots.

Bear Elective Adventure: Salmon Run

Explain the safety rules that you need to follow before participating in boating.
Identify the equipment needed when going boating.
Demonstrate correct rowing or paddling form. Explain how rowing and canoeing are good exercise.
Explain the importance of response personnel or lifeguards in a swimming area.
Show how to do both a reach rescue and a throw rescue.
Visit a local pool or swimming area with your den or family, and go swimming.
Demonstrate the front crawl swim stroke to your den or family.
Name the three swimming ability groups for the Boy Scouts of America.
Attempt to earn the BSA beginner swimmer classification.

Bear Elective Adventure: Super Science

Make static electricity by rubbing a balloon or a plastic or rubber comb on a fleece blanket or wool sweater. Explain what you learned.
Conduct a balloon or other static electricity investigation that demonstrates properties of static electricity. Explain what you learned.
Conduct one other static electricity investigation. Explain what you learned.
Do a sink-or-float investigation. Explain what you learned.
Do a color-morphing investigation. Explain what you learned.
Do a color-layering investigation. Explain what you learned.

Bear Elective Adventure: A World of Sound

Make an mbira.
Make a sistrum.
Make a rain stick.

Parents:

Be sure to have your DL signs off on each elective adventure completed in the handbook and at least one week before the Pack Meeting. Pack Meetings are held the last Wednesday of each month unless otherwise noted on the calendar. It is up to you and your Den Leader to ensure the scout gets the proper recognition at the Pack Meetings.