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Tigers in the Wild

Cub Scouts · Adventure, Required

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Tigers in the Wild takes you outside to explore. You'll pack your Six Essentials, learn the Outdoor Code, and look closely at animals and trees. Nature is full of surprises when you slow down and look.

Why it's worth it

Tigers are made for exploring. In Tigers in the Wild you'll pack your Six Essentials, learn the Outdoor Code that Scouts follow everywhere, and look closely at animals and trees near your home. You'll find out that even a single tree is a home, a shade umbrella, and an air cleaner all at once. Paying attention outdoors is a skill you'll use on every hike and campout.

Start this week

  1. Gather your Six Essentials: a first-aid kit, water bottle, flashlight, trail food, sun protection, and a whistle.
  2. Pick a tree near your home, school, or a park that you can visit more than once.
  3. Read the Outdoor Code with your adult and choose the line you like best.

Stay safe

  • Stay with your adult and buddy, carry your whistle, and watch wild animals from a distance without touching or feeding them.

Requirements · 5

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

  1. Requirement 1

    Name the Cub Scout Six Essentials and show how you use each one

    Tip: Lay out your Six Essentials and act out how each one helps, then pack them in your backpack.

  2. Requirement 2

    Learn the Outdoor Code with your den leader or adult partner

    Tip: Learn the Outdoor Code with your den, then talk about one way you can follow it on your walk.

    For example: The Outdoor Code says to be clean in your outdoor manners, careful with fire, considerate in the outdoors, and conservation-minded. On your walk, you might pick up a wrapper, stay on the trail, and talk quietly near birds.

  3. Requirement 3

    Spend at least 20 minutes exploring outside with your Six Essentials, with your den, pack, or family; with your adult partner, point out natural things and human-made things

    Tip: Walk for 20 minutes or more. Make a two-column list: things from nature and things made by people.

    For example: Walk a park loop for 20 minutes with your Six Essentials. Make a two-column list as you go: in the nature column, a feather and a mushroom; in the people column, a fence and a bridge.

  4. Requirement 4

    Name common animals that live near you, find out which are wild and which are domesticated, and draw your favorite

    Tip: Name animals near your home, sort them into wild and pets or farm animals, then draw your favorite.

    For example: Wild animals near you might be squirrels, crows, deer, and raccoons. Domesticated animals might be dogs, cats, chickens, and horses. Draw your favorite and tell where it lives.

  5. Requirement 5

    Find a tree where you live and describe how it helps

    Tip: Find a tree near home. Talk about how it helps, like giving shade, homes for birds, or cleaner air.

    For example: Find an oak in your yard or a park. Notice the squirrels' nest, the cool shade under it, and the acorns on the ground. Tell your adult three ways the tree helps.

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A nature center or state park visitor center

    Naturalists can show you local animals, skulls, and furs, and help you name the trees on the trail.

    How: Have your adult check the center's family programs online, or call and ask if a naturalist can lead a short walk for your den.

Talk about it together

  • What did you notice on your walk that you had never seen before?
  • How does your tree change from season to season?
  • Which line of the Outdoor Code is easiest for you, and which is hardest?
  • If you could be any wild animal near your home, which would you be?
  • What can your family do to help animals and trees near where you live?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Choose a short trail and give each Tiger a simple nature checklist to fill in.
  • Practice the Outdoor Code at the trailhead before the walk.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Counts toward

More Tiger adventures

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.