Bear Ideas

Bear Achievement 19 was a favorite with both of my dens. Why? Because it’s all about pocketknives.

Boys can be a little goofy and silly at den meetings, but with this one I laid down the law. If they didn’t pay attention and take it seriously, they would not get their Whittlin’ Chip card. And they were good as gold.

This meeting plan covers all of the requirements for Bear Achievement 19: Shavings and Chips.  If you normally meet at a school, you might need to find a different meeting space for this one. Many schools will not allow anything which resembles a knife.

It is possible to meet the requirements by having them carve soap instead of wood. The soap is softer, but I don’t like getting soap all over the pocketknives, which the requirement specifies must be used to make the carving. So we used wood and made arrowhead neckerchief slides.

No matter which material you decide to use, allow plenty of room between the scouts. Have a couple of extra adults on hand to keep an eye on things. And don’t let them handle their knives until they have demonstrated that they know the safety rules.

Find a meeting plan here.