Arrow of Light Award for Cub Scouts (2024 Preview)

This for the 2024 program year Cub Scout updates. This is a preview and is not official information yet. This new program takes effect on June 1, 2024. See more details about the overall program updates here.

The Arrow of Light award is the highest honor a Cub Scout can achieve and is a special milestone for fifth graders in scouting. This award is not just a badge; it’s a symbol of all the hard work, learning, and fun experiences a Cub Scout has had on their journey. The Arrow of Light program is designed to prepare these young scouts for the next big step into Scouts BSA. It focuses on outdoor skills, personal fitness, citizenship, personal safety, and family values.

Unlike past years, where Webelos and Arrow of Light shared the same elective option, the two program years are now completely separated.

The Core Adventures of the Arrow of Light program build upon everything Cub Scouts have learned so far. They start with character and leadership through the Bobcat requirement, then move on to more challenging activities like Outdoor Adventurer and Personal Fitness. Cub Scouts also learn the importance of helping their community in Citizenship, the basics of First Aid, and the significance of Duty to God. These adventures are all about preparing Cubs to be more independent and responsible.

Elective Adventures allow Cub Scouts to explore deeper into subjects they’re interested in. Whether it’s engineering in the Engineer adventure, learning about nature in Into the Wild and Into the Woods, or getting active with Cycling and Swimming, there’s something for every Cub. New adventures like Estimations and High Tech Outdoors introduce important skills in mathematics and technology, while Fishing and Knife Safety teach practical outdoor skills. These electives offer Cubs a chance to discover new passions and build confidence in their abilities.

Earning the Arrow of Light award is a big achievement for Cub Scouts. It shows they are ready for the adventures that await in Scouts BSA. The program helps them learn important life skills, make lasting memories, and prepare for future challenges. As Cub Scouts work towards this award, they grow in character, learn to lead, and understand the value of serving their community. The Arrow of Light is not just an award; it’s the beginning of a new adventure in scouting.

Arrow of Light Cub Scout Requirements

1. Complete each of the 6 Arrow of Light required adventures:

• Bobcat
• Citizenship
• Duty to God
• First Aid
• Outdoor Adventurer
• Personal Fitness

2. In addition to the 6 required adventures listed previously, complete at least 2 Arrow of Light elective adventures of your den’s or family’s choosing.

Arrow of Light Cub Scout Required Adventures

Bobcat Adventure Requirements

1. Demonstrate the patrol method by choosing a Patrol name and electing a patrol leader. Discuss the benefits of using the patrol method.   
2. Get to know members of your patrol.
3. Recite the Scout Oath and Scout Law with your patrol.  
4. With your patrol create a Code of Conduct. 
5. Demonstrate the Scout sign, Scout salute and Scout handshake used by Scouts BSA.  Show how each are used. 
6. Learn the Scouts BSA slogan and motto.
7. With your patrol, or with your parent/legal guardian, visit a Scouts BSA troop. 
8. At home, with your parent or legal guardian do the activities in the booklet “How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide.” 

Citizenship Adventure Requirements

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.
2. Participate in a service project for a minimum of 2 hours or multiple service projects for a total of 2 hours.

Duty to God Adventure Requirements

1. Discuss with your parent or legal guardian about your family’s faith traditions or one of your choosing.  Choose a view value of that 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 that provides a service that assists people in crisis regardless of their faith.  Identify who they help and how.
3. Discuss with our parent, legal guardian, or adult leader what “Duty to God” means to you.  Tell how you practice your Duty to God in your daily life. 

First Aid Adventure Requirements

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 hurry cases of first aid: serious bleeding, heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest, stopped breathing, stroke, 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 nosebleed.
7. Make a personal first aid kit.  Demonstrate the proper use of each item.

Outdoor Adventurer Adventure Requirements

1. Learn about the Scout Basic Essentials. 
2. Determine what you will bring on an overnight campout including a tent, sleeping bag/gear and how you will carry your gear.
3. Review the 4 points of the BSA SAFE Checklist and how you will apply them. on the campout.
4. Locate the campsite where you will be camping on a map.
5. With your patrol or a Scouts BSA troop, participate in a campout. 
6. Upon arrival at the 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. 
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 would do differently next time.   Include how you followed the Outdoor Code and Leave Not Trace Principles for Kids.

Personal Fitness Adventure Requirements

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 you incorporate this in 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 1 other person, that includes both stretching and moving.
4. Review your BSA Annual Health and Medical record with your parent or guardian.  Discuss your ability to participate in pack and den activities.

Arrow of Light Cub Scout Elective Adventures

Champions for Nature Adventure Requirements

1. Identify foods grown or processed in your state.
2. Determine the benefits of purchasing food that is locally grown or processed.
3. Explore the concept of a food desert.
4. Learn how individuals can reduce food waste.
5. Examine how your community can reduce food waste.
6. Participate in a conservation service project.

Cycling Adventure Requirements

1. Decide on gear and supplies you should bring might bring for a long bike ride.  Determine how to safely carry the gear. 
2. Discover how multi-gear bicycles work and the benefit. 
3. Practice how to lube a chain.
4. Review different bicycle locks. Demonstrate the operation of locks and, how to secure your bicycle with a lock. 
5. Repair a flat tire.
6. With your family, den, or pack, use a map and plan a bicycle ride that is at least 10 miles.
7. With your buddy, go on bicycle ride that is a minimum of 10 miles.

Engineer Adventure Requirements

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. 

Estimations Adventure Requirements

1. Estimate the amount of food needed for a meal.
2. Estimate the time of day.
3. Estimate the height of a distant object.
4. Estimate the distance between two points.

Fishing Adventure Requirements

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 and tie it.
6. On your own, set up 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 an hour fishing following local guidelines and regulations.

High Tech Outdoors Adventure Requirements

1. With an adult, use a weather app to see the forecast for your outdoor adventure and discuss any preparation needed to accommodate the weather.
2. With an adult, find a knot tying app.  Select one knot to learn and tie it using the app.
3. Discuss how technology has improved camping gear.
4. Discuss how technology has improved camping gear.
5. Think of a way technology can improve camping gear used on one of your outdoor Adventures.

Into the Wild Adventure Requirements

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 Adventure Requirements

1.  Visit an area with trees 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. Identify a tree and determine if the 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.

Knife Safety Adventure Requirements

1. Read, understand, and promise to abide by the “Cub Scout Knife Safety Rules.”
2. Demonstrate the knife safety circle.
3. Demonstrate that you know how to care for and use a knife safely. 
4. Demonstrate the proper use of a pocketknife to make a useful object on a campout.
5. Choose the correct cooking knife and demonstrate how to properly slice, chop, and mince. 

Paddle Craft Adventure Requirements

1. Before attempting requirements 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 for this Adventure, you must pass the BSA swimmer test.    
2. Pick a paddle craft for which to complete all requirements: canoe, kayak or SUP.
3. Review  Safety Afloat.
4. Demonstrate how to identify and properly wear a life jacket that is the correct size. 
5. Jump feet first into water over your head.  Swim 25 feet wearing a life jacket.
6. Discuss how to enter and exit a canoe, kayak or stand-up paddle board (SUP) safely.  
7. Discuss what to do if your canoe or kayak tips over or you fall off your SUP. 
8. Learn 2 paddle strokes: power stroke and the sweep. 
9. Have 30 minutes, or more, of canoe, kayak or SUP paddle time. 

Race Time Adventure Requirements

1. With adult supervision, 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. Mentor a younger den to prepare for the race.
4. Before the race, discuss with your den how you will demonstrate good sportsmanship during the race.
5. Participate in a Pinewood Derby or a Raingutter Regatta.

Summertime Fun Adventure Requirements

1. Anytime during May through August participate in a total of 3 Cub Scout activities.

Swimming Adventure Requirements

1. Review the Safe Swim Defense. 
2. Explain the meaning of “order of rescue” and demonstrate the reach and throw rescue techniques from land. 
3. Attempt the BSA swimmer test.
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 do at least three buddy checks per half hour swimming. 

Archery, BB Guns, and Slingshot Adventures

Shooting sports adventures can only be completed at district and council events.

Resources for Leaders and Parents