The Bear Fellowship Adventure is a meaningful activity for Bear Cub Scouts. This adventure helps young Scouts learn about their own faith and the faith of others. It teaches them respect and understanding for different beliefs and traditions. Through various activities, Bear Cub Scouts develop a deeper sense of reverence. This is important as reverence is one of the core values of Cub Scouting.
In this adventure, Bear Cub Scouts engage in activities with their families. They discuss and explore their family’s faith traditions. This not only helps them understand their own background better but also brings them closer to their loved ones. The activities are designed to be fun and educational. They include making crafts or food items that relate to their traditions.
Bear Cub Scouts also learn about kindness and respect through acts that benefit others. These acts of kindness help them see the importance of caring and giving back to the community. It is a practical way to show reverence in daily life. This teaches them to be better friends and community members.
Finally, by learning about a faith different from their own, Bear Cub Scouts gain a broader perspective. This part of the adventure encourages openness and curiosity. Understanding similarities and differences between faiths promotes harmony and respect. This is vital in our diverse world. Overall, the Bear Fellowship Adventure supports the growth of well-rounded young individuals.
Requirements for the Bear Fellowship Adventure
Bear Fellowship Adventure Requirements
This Adventure may be earned by completing the requirements below OR by completing a Religious Emblem of the Cub Scouts family’s choosing.
- With your parent or legal guardian talk about your family’s faith traditions. Identify three holidays or celebrations that are part of your family’s faith traditions. Make a craft, work of art, or a food item that is part of your favorite family’s faith tradition holiday or celebration.
- With your family, attend a religious service OR other gathering that shows how your family expresses reverence .
- Carry out an act of kindness.
- With your parent or legal guardian identify a religion or faith that is different from your own. Determine two things that it has in common with your family’s beliefs.
Printable requirements for the Bear Fellowship Adventure
Checkoff sheet to keep track of your den’s progress on the Bear Fellowship Adventure
Resources for the Bear Fellowship Adventure
Exploring Family Traditions
With your parent or legal guardian talk about your family’s faith traditions. Identify three holidays or celebrations that are part of your family’s faith traditions. Make a craft, work of art, or a food item that is part of your favorite family’s faith tradition holiday or celebration.
The Bear Fellowship Adventure starts with a meaningful conversation between Bear Cub Scouts and their parents or guardians about their family’s faith traditions. This helps Scouts learn about the importance of their cultural and religious backgrounds. It also lets them explore the special holidays and celebrations that shape their family’s identity. By identifying and discussing three key holidays, Scouts connect more deeply with their heritage.
- Create a Craft: Choose a holiday and make a traditional decoration. For example, if Christmas is part of your tradition, you might make a homemade Christmas ornament or a wreath.
- Make a Work of Art: Draw or paint a scene related to a special celebration, like a Diwali lantern or a Rosh Hashanah honey jar.
- Prepare a Food Item: Cook or bake a dish that is typically served during one of your family’s important celebrations, such as mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival or matzah for Passover.
Here are some options for fulfilling Bear Fellowship Adventure requirement 1:
- Beary Happy Turkey Treats
- Create Thanksgiving treats.
- Supplies: oven, sink and hand soap, cookie sheets, parchment paper, pretzel twists, chocolate candies, candy corn, yellow candies, candy eyes
- indoor, moderate energy, 3 to 5 days prep
- Clay Celebration
- Create a clay sculpture that can be used as part of your favorite family faith tradition, holiday, or celebration.
- Supplies: air drying clay, plastic knives, forks, and spoons, toothpicks, water
- indoor, moderate energy, 3 to 5 days prep
- Alternatively use some homemade model magic
- I Heart String Art
- Create a string art heart.
- Supplies: Heart String Art template, white paper, pencils, wooden boards, small nails, tack hammer, colored yarn, thumb tack, tape, safety glasses
- indoor, moderate energy, 3 to 5 days prep
These activities are not only fun but also strengthen family bonds and enhance Scouts’ understanding of their own traditions.
Participating in Reverent Gatherings
With your family, attend a religious service OR other gathering that shows how your family expresses reverence .
For the second requirement of the Bear Fellowship Adventure, Bear Cub Scouts are encouraged to attend a religious service or a gathering that reflects how their family shows respect and reverence. This experience allows Scouts to observe and learn about the practices that are central to their family’s faith. Attending these events together as a family not only educates Scouts about their traditions but also demonstrates how people come together in reverence and respect.
- Attend a Religious Service: Go to a service at your family’s place of worship, like a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple. This can be a regular service or a special event like a holiday celebration.
- Visit a Cultural Ceremony: If your family’s reverence is shown through cultural traditions rather than religious ones, attend a cultural ceremony or festival that has a reverent component.
- Participate in a Family Ritual: Engage in a family ritual at home that has a reverent nature, such as a prayer before a meal or a bedtime gratitude practice.
Here are some options for fulfilling Bear Fellowship Adventure requirement 2:
- Attend a Religious Service
- Attend a religious service based on your family’s choosing.
- Supplies: none
- requires travel, very low energy, more than one week prep
- Chartered Partner Celebration
- Attend a celebration at your chartered partner based on a faith tradition.
- Supplies: Activity Consent Form
- requires travel, low energy, more than one week prep
- Veterans Day Celebration
- Participate in a Veterans Day celebration
- Supplies: Activity Consent Form
- requires travel, low energy, more than one week prep
These activities are designed to deepen the Scout’s appreciation for their family’s expressions of reverence and to understand the broader meaning of respect within their community and beyond.
Acts of Kindness
Carry out an act of kindness.
In the Bear Fellowship Adventure, the third requirement focuses on performing an act of kindness. This activity encourages Bear Cub Scouts to put into practice the values of caring and community service. By doing something kind for others, Scouts learn the importance of empathy and generosity. These acts of kindness help them to connect with their community and make a positive impact, reflecting the Scout Law component to be helpful.
- Help a Neighbor: Offer to do yard work, like raking leaves or shoveling snow, for a neighbor who needs assistance.
- Create Care Packages: Put together care packages for the homeless or for soldiers overseas. Include items like snacks, socks, personal hygiene products, and a friendly note.
- Volunteer Your Time: Spend time volunteering at a local food bank, animal shelter, or community center. Even a few hours can make a big difference.
Here are some options for fulfilling Bear Fellowship Adventure requirement 3:
- Kindness Jar
- Write nice words about your parent or legal guardian and put them in a jar.
- Supplies: small jar or can, ribbons, stickers, paper, glue, paper, pen or thin sharpie
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Make a Friend
- Talk to someone new at school.
- Supplies: none
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Thank a Teacher
- Write a thank you card for a teacher.
- Supplies: paper, card stock, markers, colored pencils, crayons, pens, stickers and other decorations
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
These simple yet impactful actions teach Scouts about the joy and importance of helping others, fostering a spirit of generosity and respect in their daily lives.
Exploring Common Ground
With your parent or legal guardian identify a religion or faith that is different from your own. Determine two things that it has in common with your family’s beliefs.
The fourth requirement of the Bear Fellowship Adventure encourages Bear Cub Scouts to learn about a religion or faith different from their own. This activity promotes understanding and tolerance by highlighting similarities between different beliefs. By identifying common elements with another faith, Scouts recognize that while people may worship or believe in different ways, many core values are shared across cultures and religions. This understanding fosters respect and builds bridges within diverse communities.
- Research Together: Sit down with your parent or guardian and research another religion or faith online or through books. Look for basic beliefs, practices, and holidays.
- Attend a Presentation or Workshop: Participate in an interfaith workshop or presentation that introduces different religions. Many community centers, libraries, or places of worship offer such events.
- Discuss with Someone of a Different Faith: Arrange a meeting with a family friend or community member who practices a different faith. Ask them to share about their beliefs and practices and discuss what is similar to your own faith.
Here is an option for fulfilling Bear Fellowship Adventure requirement 4:
- Common Faith Elements
- Learn about a religion different from your own and name two things that it has in common with your family’s beliefs.
- Supplies: Common Faith Elements worksheet
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
By exploring these similarities, Scouts not only broaden their horizons but also deepen their respect for the diversity of beliefs around them.
Faith Requirements for Cub Scouts Who Are Agnostic or Atheist: See some ways families and Scouters help Scouts in these situations complete Duty to God requirements.
Should Duty To God Requirements Be Completed at Home or at a Meeting? See insights on how to balance these requirements, which could help leaders and parents guide Bear Scouts effectively. It’s essential that Bear Scouts can complete the Fellowship adventure in a way that aligns with their values and beliefs.
Before any activity, check the SAFE Checklist to make sure everyone is safe. Everyone involved in Scouting America activities should know the Guide to Safe Scouting and other relevant guides or books. Also follow any state or local rules that are more strict than Scouting America rules and guidelines.
Before starting a craft activity, watch the Craft Tips video.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Bear Fellowship Adventure
What is the Bear Fellowship Adventure?
The Bear Fellowship Adventure is a series of activities that help Bear Cub Scouts learn about their own faith and respect other beliefs. They make crafts, attend services, perform acts of kindness, and explore different religions.
Why do we talk about family faith traditions?
Talking about your family’s faith traditions helps you understand where you come from and what your family values. It also brings families closer together.
Can we attend any religious service for Requirement 2?
Yes, you can attend any religious service or reverent gathering that shows how your family expresses reverence. It can be at your usual place of worship or somewhere new.
What kind of act of kindness should we do?
Any act that helps or brings joy to others counts. This could be helping a neighbor, volunteering, or making care packages.
How do we find a religion different from ours to learn about?
You can start by looking online, visiting a local library, or asking friends from different faiths to share about their beliefs.
Do I need to complete all requirements in order?
No, you can complete the requirements in any order that works for you and your family.
What should we do if we don’t belong to a specific faith?
You can focus on cultural or family traditions that you observe that involve reverence. If you prefer, explore general values like kindness and community service that align with Scouting principles.
Faith and Kindness
The Bear Fellowship Adventure is an important part of the Cub Scout experience for Bear Cub Scouts. It focuses on learning about and showing respect for different faiths and traditions. This adventure includes four main requirements that help Scouts explore their own beliefs and understand others’ beliefs too.
First, Scouts talk with their families about their own faith traditions. They identify special holidays and make a related craft or food. Next, they attend a religious service or gathering. This shows Scouts how their families show reverence.
Scouts also perform an act of kindness. This teaches them to care for others and helps build a stronger community. Lastly, they explore a faith that is different from their own. This helps them see what different faiths have in common with their beliefs.
This adventure teaches Scouts about respect, kindness, and understanding. It shows them how these values are important in their own lives and in the lives of others around the world.
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