Arrow of Light Requirements

Requirements for this badge are listed in bold and suggestions on activities will be listed below that in a typical font.
  1. Complete each of the four required Adventures.
    • Bobcat (Arrow of Light)
    • Personal Fitness
    • Outdoor Adventurer
    • Citizenship
    • First Aid
    • Duty to God
  2. In addition to the six required adventures listed above, complete at least two elective Adventures of your den’s or family’s choosing.
    • Champions for Nature
    • Cycling
    • Engineer
    • Estimations
    • Fishing
    • High Tech Camping
    • Into the Wild
    • Into the Woods
    • Knife Safety
    • Paddle Craft
    • Race Time
    • Summertime Fun
    • Swimming

Additional Adventures that can be earned at District and Council events.

  • Slingshot
  • Archery
  • BBs

Required Adventures

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Bobcat (Arrow of Light)

 

  • 1.Demonstrate the patrol method by choosing a patrol name and electing a patrol leader. Discuss the benefits of using the patrol method.

The patrol method is how Scouts will be organized in a Scouts BSA Troop. The goal of Scouts BSA is to be youth led with the adults merely serving as oversight and resources. The Scouts will be organized into Patrol, similar to Dens, but run by a member of the Patrol as the Patrol Leader. All Patrol Leaders will report to the Senior Patrol Leader, who is the lead youth member of the Troop. This is a time to take the position of Denner and have them begin actually leading the meetings with their patrol and not just the opening activities. It can be good to have a discussion with the Den about this and how to work as a team, as many Dens are used to listening to the adults and don’t always start well listening to a peer.

  • 2. Get to know the members of your patrol.
  • 3. Recite the Scout Oath and the Scout Law with your Patrol.
  • 4. With your Patrol, create a code of conduct.
  • 5. Demonstrate the Scouts BSA sign, Scouts BSA salute, and Scouts BSA handshake. Show how each is used.
Scouts BSA Sign: The thumb is over the pinky and the other three fingers are held up and together. Note that unlike the straight arm of the Cub Scout Sign in Scouts BSA the sign has the elbow at a right angle.
Scouts BSA Salute: The same handshape as the Scouts BSA Sign, but either touching the end og your eyebrow or glasses, or if wearing a hat, just off of the brim.
The Scouts BSA Handshake: A traditional handshake, but using the left hand. The reason that the left hand is used is that the left hand is closer to the heart, being on the left side of the body, so it symbolizes love, kindness, and friendship,
  • 6. Learn the Scouts BSA slogan and motto.

Scouts BSA Slogan: Do a good turn daily.

Scouts BSA Motto: Be Prepared.

  • 7. With your Patrol, or with a parent or legal guardian, visit a Scouts BSA Troop.

Different Scouts BSA Troops will have different styles, cultures, and leaderships styles, so visit as many Troops as possible so your Scouts can see where they best fit in.

  • 8. At home with your parent or legal guardian, do the activities in the booklet, “How to Protect Your Child From Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide.”
Duty to God

 

  • 1. Discuss with your parent or legal guardian your family’s faith traditions or one of your choosing. Choose a view or value of the faith tradition that is related to the Scout Law. Discuss with your family how each family member demonstrates this value.
  • 2. Meet with a representative of a faith-based organization in your local community who provides a service that assists people in crisis regardless of their faith. Identify who they help and how.
  • 3. Discuss with your parent, legal guardian, or an adult leader what “Duty to God” means to you. Tell how you practice your Duty to God in your daily life.

If your Pack is chartered through a religious institution it may be likely that all the Scouts share that faith. This can make talking about these requirements much more simple. If you have a diverse group with different beliefs, this can be challenging.  Some Dens opt to have the Scouts work on this at home with their family, and let the Den Leader know when it is complicated. Another option that can be interesting is to have the families just talk about the requirements at home, and have Scout’s return to share their information. 

Outdoor Adventurer

 

  • 1. Learn the Scout Basic Essentials.

These are shown below and are slightly different than the Cub Scout Essentials.

Before carrying a knife a Scout must have earned the Knife Safety Adventure.
A poncho will always do the trick, but when spending more time outside consider a full rain suit which will be more dry.
Extra clothes are important ESPECIALLY socks!
There are many typed of compasses, but a simple baseplate model, as shown here, is the most useful for a new user.
Matches or another fire starting tool is important. Matches are the classic go to, lighters are more simple and hold up a bit better in poor weather. A Hot Spark or Ferro Rod is very long lasting, but requires some practive to get proficient with. A classic Flint and Steel is an impressive things to be able to use, but it requires LOTS of practice and is probbaly more frusterating than useful with young Scouts.
  • 2. Determine what you will bring on an overnight campout- including a tent and sleeping bag/gear-and how you will carry your gear.
  • 3. Review the four points of the BSA SAFE Checklist and how you will apply them on the campout
  • 4. Locate the camp and campsite on a map.
  • 5. With your Patrol of a Scouts BSA Troop, participate in a campout.

When you think you have found a Troop the Scouts want to join try to go on a campout with them. This will be a great indicator of how Scouts will fit into the new group. If you can go to campouts with a few Troops that is great.

  • 6. Upon arrival on a campout, determine where to set up your campsite kitchen, eating area, tents, and firepit. Help the Patrol set up the patrol gear before setting up your own tent.

It can be a good idea to leave some space between the kitchen/eating area and tents. We always strive to be clean and tidy with all things including food, but in case some spills occur this will keep some space between people sleeping and any night time critters that are drawn in from food scraps and smells.

  • 7. Explain how to keep food safe and the kitchen area sanitary at the campsite. Demonstrate your knowledge during the campout.
  • 8. After your campout, discuss with your Patrol what went well and what you could do differently next time. Include how you followed the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids.
Personal Fitness

 

  • 1. Plan a balanced meal that you would eat when camping. Prepare that meal using the gear you would use on a campout.
  • 2. Examine what it is to be physically fit and how your incorporate this into your life. Track the number of times you are active for 30 minutes or longer over a 14-day period. Share with your Patrol or family what you enjoyed and if you feel you are living up to the Scout Oath of being physically fit.
  • 3. Be active for 30 minutes with your Patrol, a younger Den, or at least one other person in a way that includes both stretching and moving.
  • 4. Review your BSA Annual Health and Medical Record with your parent or legal guardian. Discuss your ability to participate in Arrow of Light Patrol and Pack activities.
Citizenship

 

  • 1. Identify a community service project that your Patrol or Pack could accomplish. Use the BSA SAFE Checklist and develop a plan to conduct the service project safely.
  • Participate in a service project for a minimum of two hours or multiple service projects for a total of two hours.
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First Aid

 

  • 1. With permission from your parent or legal guardian, watch the Protect Yourself Rules video for the Arrow of Light rank.
  • 2. Explain what you should do if you encounter someone in need of first aid.
  • 3. Demonstrate what to do for the hurry cases in first aid: bleeding, heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest, stopped breathing, stroke, or poisoning.
  • 4. Demonstrate how to help a choking victim.
  • 5. Demonstrate how to treat shock.
  • 6. Demonstrate how to treat the following: cuts and scratches, burns and scalds, bites and stings of insects and animals, and nosebleeds.
  • 7. Make a personal first-aid kit. Demonstrate the proper use  of each item in your first-aid kit.

Elective Adventures

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Champions for Nature

 

  • 1. Identify foods grown or processed in your state.
  • 2. Determine the benefits of purchasing food that is locally grown or processed.

Consider taking your Den to a local Farmer’s Market, especially if they still have to make their meal for Personal Fitness.

  • 3. Explore the concept of a food desert.
  • 4. Explore the concept of a food oasis.
  • 5. Learn how individuals can reduce food waste.
  • 6. Participate in a conservation service project.
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Cycling

 

  • 1. Decide on gear and supplies you should bring for a long bike ride.

Cub Scout Essentials are a good start, if it is a long ride you may want to think about some simple bike/tire repair tools as well.1. Decide on gear and supplies you should bring along for a long bike ride.

    • 2. Discover how multigear bicycles work and how they benefit a rider.
  • 3. Show how you lubricate a chain.
  • 4. Pick a bicycle lock that you will use. Demonstrate how it locks and unlocks, how it secures your bicycle, and how you carry it while you are riding your bicycle.
  • 5. Repair a flat tire.
  • 6. With your Patrol, Pack, or family, use a map and plan a bicycle ride that is at least 10 miles.
  • 7. With your Patrol, Pack, or family and using the buddy system, go on a bicycle ride that is a minimum of 10 miles.
Engineer

 

  • 1. Learn the focus, related sciences, and products of civil, electrical, and mechanical engineers.
  • 2. Pick one of the engineering fields from requirement 1 to complete the following requirements.
  • 3. Examine a set of blueprints or specifications used by your choice of engineer.
  • 4. Identify a project that you would like to build.
  • 5. Using the engineering process, build your project.

The five steps of the Engineering Process are:

      • 1. Determine your need.
      • 2. Gather information.
      • 3. Prepare Instructions.
      • 4. Build your project.
      • 5. Evaluate your project.
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Estimations

 

  • 1. Estimate food measurements.
  • 2. Estimate the time of day.
Hold your hand outstretched on the horizon. The width of a typical finger is roughly about 15 minutes. You can stack your hands for more than one hour. These measurements are typically meant for adults, so a cub Scout's fingers are likely to be smaller and more of a rough estimate.
Stand facing North or South so that you can see the path of the Sun from East to West. We know that the Sun will be directly overhead at noon, so if you have an idea on what time a typical sunrise and sunset are you can devide the rest of the sky into equal parts for an estimate of the time of day.
  • 3. Estimate the height of a distant object.
Use a stick as long as your arm and stand under the object, in this example a tree. Hold your arm out straight and focus your gaze on the top of the stick. Walk backwards until the top of the object is at the top of your stick. The distance between there and the height of the object are roughly the same measurement.
Another technique is to use your shadow and the shadow of the tree. This takes more math than the stick method. Your height and the height of the object are proportional as as the lengths of the two shadows. if you make a set of proportions, the trees height over the trees shadow is equal to your height over your shadow. No you can use the trick to solve proportions of cross multiply and divide. Here is an example.
  • 4. Estimate the distance between two two points.
Place a stick in the ground or a rock across from a distance you want to measure, point X is theplace in the distance and point Y is where you are starting from. Take 20 steps then put another rock or stick to marm that, point A in this picture. Taken another 20 steps and put another rock or stick, point B. Turn 90 degrees to in the opposite direction of the object in the distance. Walk straight until you are in line with points X and A, this is point C. The unknown distance, between points X and Y, is the same as the distance from points B and C.
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Fishing

 

  • 1. Make a plan to go fishing. Determine where you will go and what type of fish you plan to catch. All of the following requirements are to be completed based on your choice.
  • 2. Use the BSA SAFE Checklist to plan what you need for your fishing experience.
  • 3. Describe the environment where the fish might be found.
  • 4. Make a list of the equipment and materials you will need to fish.
  • 5. Determine the best type of knot to tie your hook to your line.
  • 6. On your own, choose the appropriate type of fishing rod and tackle you will be using. Have an adult review your gear.
  • 7. Using what you have learned about fish and fishing equipment, spend at least one hour fishing following local guidelines and regulations.
 
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High Tech Outdoors
  • 1. With an adult, use a weather app or website to see the forecast for an outdoor activity and discuss any preparation.
  • 2. With an adult, find a knot-tying app. Select one knot to learn, and tie it using the app.

Below are some great knot tying apps.

Knot Guide
Knots 3D
Animated Knot 3D
  • 3. Discuss how technology has improved camping gear.
  • 4. Think of a way technology can improve camping gear used on one of your outdoor activities.
Into the Wild

 

  • 1. Visit a place with a variety of wild animals. Select one of the animals and observe its behavior. Use your selected animal to complete the remaining requirements.
  • 2. Create a model of your animal’s ecosystem.
  • 3. Investigate how your animal coexists with other animals in the wild.
  • 4. Describe how humans interact with your chosen animal’s ecosystem.
  • 5. Discover how wildlife management benefits your animal.
Into the Woods

 

  • 1. Visit an area with thees and plants and conduct a tree inventory. Select one tree and complete the remaining requirements based on that tree.
  • 2. Determine if your tree is deciduous or evergreen.
  • 3. Determine if your tree is native or was introduced to your area.
  • 4. Find out how your tree deals with wildfire.
  • 5. Learn how wildlife uses your tree.
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Knife Safety

 

  • 1. Read, understand, and promise to follow the “Cub Scout Knife Safety Rules.”

Stop– make sure no one else is within arm’s reach by making a knife safety circle

Away– always cut away from your finger or other body parts

Sharp– a sharp, clean knife is a safe knife

Store– knives closed, in a sheath or a knife block

  • 2. Demonstrate the Knife safety circle.

Hold the closed knife in your hand and outstretch your arm. Make a circle all around your body. No one should be in your circle. If you are too close then move to a place where you have the space that you need.

  • 3. Demonstrate that you know how to care for a kitchen knife safely.
  • 4. Demonstrate the proper use of a pocketknife to make a useful camp gadgest.
Making shavings is always useful on a campout. Pictured here is a "Fuzz Stick", make shavings on a small stick, just not cut all the way off. This helps bridge the gap between tinder and kindling.
Forget your spoon? No worries. Carve up a spoon, although it does take some time.
Missing a tent stake? A good sized stick and a carved notch will make a great substitute!
  • 5. Choose the correct cooking knife, and demonstrate how to properly slice, dice, and mince.
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Paddle Craft

 

  • 1. Before attempting requirements 5, 6, 7, and 8 for this Adventure, you must pass the BSA Swimmer test.
  • 2. Pick a paddle craft you’ll use to complete all requirements: canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard.
  • 3. Review Safety Afloat
  • 4. Demonstrate how to choose and properly wear a life jacket that is the correct size.
  • 5. Jump feet first into water over your head while wearing a life jacket. Then swim 25 feet wearing the life jacket.
  • 6. Demonstrate how to enter and exit a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddle board safely.
  • 7. Discuss what to do if your canoe or kayak tips over, or you fall off your stand-up paddle board.
  • 8. Learn two paddle strokes: power stroke and sweep.
The Power Stroke is a stroke to make your paddlecraft go forward. Put your paddle in the water as far forward as you can and pull it back towards you in a straight line.
For a Sweep Stroke put your paddle in the water in front of you. When you pull back use a large sweeping arc, this will cause your paddlecraft to turn.
  • 9. Have 30 minutes or more of canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddle board paddle time.
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Race Time

 

  • 1. With an adult, build either a Pinewood Derby car or a Raingutter Regatta boat.
  • 2. Learn the rules of the race for the vehicle chosen in requirement 1.
  • 3. Explore the properties of friction and how it impacts your chosen vehicle.
  • 4. Before the race, discuss with your Den how you will demonstrate good sportsmanship during the race.
  • 5. Participate in a Pinewood Derby of a Raingutter Regatta.
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Summertime Fun

 

  • 1. Anytime during Math through August, participate in a total of three Cub Scout activities.
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Swimming

 

  • 1. Review Safe Swim Defense.
  • 2. Explain the meaning of “order of rescue” and demonstrate the reach and throw techniques from land.
  • Attempt the BSA swimmer test.
The BSA uses "buddy tags" to make sure that everyone is accounted for. The all white tags means that a Scout is a "non-swimmer", the red half is a "beginner", and the red and blue are for "swimmers".
  • 4. Have 30 minutes, or more, of free swim time where you practice the buddy system and stay within your ability group. The qualified adult supervision should conduct at least three buddy checks per half hour swimming.

The following Adventures can be earned at District or Council events, as Shoot Sports are not able to be done at Pack and Den events.

 
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Slingshot

 

  • 1. Identify and wear the appropriate safety gear.
  • 2. Recite the safety rules for using a slingshot.
  • 3. Demonstrate proper range commands and explain them to an adult or another scout.
  • 4. Explore the parts of a slingshot and their usage.
  • 5. Discover the types of ammunition that may be used and types that may not be used.
  • 6. Discover the types of targets that may be used and types that may not be used.
  • 7. Shoot 5 shots at a target. Repeat twice and do your best to improve your score each time. Shoot at least 15 shots.
  • 8. Demonstrate how to put away and properly store your slingshot and shooting equipment after use.
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Archery

 

  • 1. Identify and wear the appropriate safety gear.
  • 2. Demonstrate the archery range safety rules and whistle commands.
  • 3. Demonstrate proper range commands.
  • 4. Identify the main parts of your shooting equipment and how to properly use them.
  • 5. Demonstrate proper stance and shooting techniques.
  • 6. Shoot 5 arrows at a target. Repeat four times and do your best to improve your score each time. Shoot at least 25 arrows.
  • 7. Demonstrate how to safety retrieve your arrows.
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BBs

 

  • 1. Identify and wear the appropriate safety gear.
  • 2. Recite the four safety reminders.
  • 3. Demonstrate proper range commands and explain them to an adult or another scout.
  • 4. Show how to use the safety mechanism.
  • 5. Demonstrate how to properly load, fire, and secure your BB gun.
  • 6. Demonstrate the prone, bench, and sitting positions for shooting a BB gun.
  • 7. Fire 5 BBs at the target and score your target. Repeat three times and do your best to improve your score. Fire at least 20 BBs.
  • 8. Demonstrate how to put away and properly store your BB gun and shooting equipment after use.