First Class means you have the core Scoutcraft skills: cooking for your patrol, lashing, navigation, swimming, and first aid. These are the skills that make you a confident camper and a helpful member of any group. Reaching First Class is a big milestone worth celebrating.
Why it's worth it
First Class is the rank where you can take care of a group, not just yourself. You'll plan and cook three meals for your patrol, lash poles into something useful, find your way through an orienteering course, and pass the swimmer test. You'll also learn what families lean on in a crisis: CPR steps, where the utility shutoffs are, and a home emergency plan. Reaching First Class means a patrol can head into the woods with you and be in good hands.
Start this week
- Restart your activity calendar for 8a: 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks, just like Second Class.
- Walk through your home with a parent and find the water shutoff, the electrical panel, and the gas shutoff if you have one.
- Ask your patrol leader which upcoming campout you could be camp cook for, and start talking about the menu.
- Ask an older Scout to show you the clove hitch and timber hitch, then practice them on a broom handle at home.
- Think of a friend, or a Scout who stopped coming, to invite to the next fun troop activity.
Plan ahead: Requirement 8a needs another 4 weeks of tracked activity, and 1a needs 10 activities including 3 overnight campouts. Start 8a right away and keep logging outings, and ask your leader which activities from earlier ranks count toward 1a.
Stay safe
- Swim and boat only under Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat, with qualified supervision and a life jacket on in any boat.
- Practice CPR only on a training manikin in a class, never on a real person.
- Learn where the utility shutoffs are with a parent, but don't open electrical panels or turn gas valves just to practice.
Requirements · 13
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Camping and outdoor ethics
- Requirement 1a
Since joining Scouts BSA, take part in 10 separate troop or patrol activities (not meetings), at least 6 outdoors and at least 3 of those with overnight camping; on campouts, sleep in a tent you pitch or a shelter you help build, like a lean-to, snow cave, or tepee
Tip: Keep tracking your troop activities with dates and what you did. Ask your leader which earlier activities count toward the total.
- Requirement 1b
Explain how camping can affect nature and other outdoor users, and why following Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code protects the outdoors
Tip: Look around your campsite and notice wear on the ground, trees, or water. Explain how following the principles prevents that damage.
- Requirement 2
Cooking
- Requirement 2a
Help plan the menu for a 1a campout with at least one breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at least two of them cooked; tell how it uses MyPlate or the current USDA model and meets the nutrition needs of the activity
Tip: Plan a balanced menu with your patrol. Include protein, fruits or vegetables, and grains, and keep it simple to cook.
For example: A sample menu: oatmeal with raisins and cocoa for breakfast, bean or turkey wraps with carrots and apples for lunch (no cooking), and one-pot chili with cornbread for dinner. Two cooked meals, each with protein, grains, and fruit or vegetables. Check your patrol's allergies first.
- Requirement 2b
Using your 2a menu, list a budget and the food amounts to feed three or more youth, then get the ingredients
Tip: Make a shopping list with amounts per person and check prices at a grocery store. Stick to the budget your patrol agrees on.
For example: For chili for four Scouts you might list two cans of beans, a pound of ground meat or extra beans, a jar of salsa, and a box of cornbread mix. Price everything, add it up, and divide by the number of Scouts to see if you're in budget.
- Requirement 2c
Show the pans, utensils, and other gear needed to cook and serve these meals
Tip: Lay out every pot, pan, and utensil you'll need before the trip and check it against your menu.
- Requirement 2d
Show how to safely handle and store fresh meat, dairy, eggs, vegetables, and other perishables, and how to properly get rid of camp garbage, cans, plastic containers, wastewater, and other trash
Tip: Keep raw and cooked foods separate, store food away from animals, and follow your campsite's rules for trash and dishwater.
- Requirement 2e
On one campout, be the cook: supervise your helper(s) as they use a stove or build a cooking fire, cook the 2a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and supervise cleanup
Tip: As camp cook, give each helper a clear job. Stay organized, keep things clean, and make sure everyone shares cleanup.
For example: As camp cook, give each helper one job: one opens cans and stirs, one heats dishwater, one sets out bowls. You keep track of timing and food safety, then check that the cleanup crew finishes before anyone heads off.
- Requirement 3
Tools
- Requirement 3a
Discuss when lashings should and shouldn't be used
Tip: Think about when lashing makes sense, like building a camp table, and when it doesn't, such as on live trees or in no-trace areas.
For example: Lash when you need something sturdy you'll take apart later, like a camp table or flagpole, using poles you brought or were given. Don't lash to live trees or build where the land manager doesn't allow it, since rope can scar bark.
- Requirement 3b
Tie the timber hitch and the clove hitch
Tip: The timber and clove hitches start and end most lashings. Practice them on a broom handle at home.
- Requirement 3c
Join two or more poles or staves with square, shear, and diagonal lashings
Tip: Use staves or poles and practice each lashing with an older Scout until it's tight and neat.
- Requirement 3d
Build a useful camp gadget or structure with lashings
Tip: Build something useful with your patrol, like a camp table, wash stand, or tripod. Test it gently to make sure it holds.
For example: Gadget ideas: a tripod wash stand that holds a basin off the ground, a camp table with a lashed frame, a dish-drying rack, or a flagpole stand for your patrol site.
- Requirement 4
Navigation
- Requirement 4a
Using map and compass, finish an orienteering course of at least 1 mile that includes measuring the height and/or width of set objects (like a tree, tower, canyon, or ditch)
Tip: Try an orienteering course at a park or have older Scouts set one up. Practice pacing and measuring heights and widths before the event.
For example: For heights, try the stick method: hold a stick upright at arm's length with as much stick showing as the distance from your eye to your hand. Back up until it covers the tree from base to top, then pace back to the tree. That distance is about the tree's height.
- Requirement 4b
Show how to use a handheld GPS, smartphone GPS app, or other electronic navigation tool; use it to find where you are, a destination you pick, and a route there, then follow the route to arrive
Tip: Use a GPS unit or a phone app to follow a route, and compare it with what you learned using map and compass.
For example: Load a short route into a GPS unit or a phone map app and follow it at a park. Then compare: when did the screen help, and when would a dead battery make your compass the better tool?
- Requirement 5
Nature
- Requirement 5a
Identify, or show evidence of, 10 or more kinds of native plants in your area or campsite, for example fallen leaves or fruit found in the field, a collection you made, or your own photos
Tip: Visit a park or nature center and photograph or sketch native plants. A field guide or ranger can help you identify them.
For example: Your 10 native plants might include an oak, a maple, wild strawberry, milkweed, goldenrod, a fern, and a native grass. Use a field guide or your state extension service to check which plants are actually native where you live.
- Requirement 5b
Name two ways to get a weather forecast for an upcoming activity and explain why forecasts matter when planning
Tip: Learn to check the National Weather Service or a local forecast before every outing.
- Requirement 5c
Describe at least three natural signs that dangerous weather is coming, what hazards could follow, and what to do about them
Tip: Watch for signs like building dark clouds, sudden wind shifts, or a drop in temperature, and know what to do for each.
For example: Natural warning signs and actions: tall dark clouds building fast (a thunderstorm; get off high ground and out of the water), a sudden cold wind shift (a front arriving; head for shelter), or thunder you can hear (lightning is close; go indoors or to a car).
- Requirement 5d
Describe extreme weather you might meet outdoors where you live; discuss how to judge the risk ahead of time, plan around it, and prepare for and respond to it
Tip: Find out what extreme weather your area gets, like tornadoes, floods, or heat waves, and how your family and troop would respond.
For example: If your area gets tornadoes, explain how you'd hear a warning, where you'd shelter at home and at camp, and what goes in a go-bag. For heat waves, floods, or blizzards, follow the same pattern: assess, avoid, prepare, respond.
- Requirement 6
Aquatics
- Requirement 6a
Pass the Scouting America swimmer test (described in the Swimming merit badge requirements)
Tip: If you need more practice, swim laps at a local pool. The test is given by qualified adults.
- Requirement 6b
Tell what precautions are needed for a safe trip afloat
Tip: Learn the steps for a safe trip on the water, like life jackets, qualified supervision, and checking the weather.
- Requirement 6c
Name the main parts of a boat (canoe, kayak, or other) and of a paddle or oar
Tip: Point out the parts of a canoe, kayak, or boat and paddle during a supervised waterfront session.
- Requirement 6d
Describe correct body position in a watercraft for its type and size, and explain why it matters
Tip: Sit low and centered in a boat to stay stable. Practice getting in and out safely with an instructor.
- Requirement 6e
With a helper and a practice victim about 30 feet from shore in deep water, show a line rescue as both tender and rescuer
Tip: Practice the line rescue as both tender and rescuer with qualified adults at a pool or waterfront.
- Requirement 7
First aid and emergency preparedness
- Requirement 7a
Show how to bandage a sprained ankle and injuries to the head, upper arm, and collarbone
Tip: Practice each bandage on a buddy with real triangle bandages until you can do them quickly and neatly.
- Requirement 7b
Alone and with a partner, show how to move a person out of a smoke-filled room and carry a person with a sprained ankle at least 25 yards
Tip: Practice each carry slowly on soft ground with a buddy and an adult watching.
- Requirement 7c
Name the five most common heart attack signals and explain the steps of CPR
Tip: Learn the warning signs of a heart attack and the steps of CPR. A Red Cross or American Heart Association class is a great way to practice.
- Requirement 7d
Tell what utilities your home or meeting place has, describe their possible hazards, and explain how to respond to emergencies involving them
Tip: Walk through your home with a parent and find the water shutoff, electrical panel, and gas meter if you have one. Talk about what to do in an emergency.
- Requirement 7e
Create a home emergency plan for what to do in a fire, storm, power outage, or water outage
Tip: Make a family plan with meeting places and supplies. Post it on the fridge and practice it together.
For example: Your plan might list two meeting places (the mailbox out front and a spot down the block), two ways out of each room in a fire, where the flashlights and water are for an outage, and who to call if family members are apart.
- Requirement 7f
Explain how to get safe drinking water in an emergency
Tip: Learn ways to make water safe to drink, like boiling or treatment tablets, and where your home has stored water.
For example: Ways to get safe water: stored bottled water, water from the home's water heater tank, or boiling water from another source. Talk with a parent about which works for your home and where you'd keep a supply.
- Requirement 8
Fitness
- Requirement 8a
After finishing Second Class 7a, be active at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks, and keep track of what you do
Tip: Keep your activity log going for another four weeks. Mix up activities so it stays fun.
- Requirement 8b
Share your challenges and successes with 8a and set a goal to keep physical activity part of your daily life
Tip: Compare your results with your Second Class log. Set a new goal that keeps you moving.
- Requirement 9
Citizenship
- Requirement 9a
Meet with someone your leader approves (such as a judge, teacher, principal, attorney, elected official, or civil servant) and discuss a U.S. citizen's constitutional rights and obligations
Tip: Ask your leader to help arrange a chat with an approved person, such as a judge, police officer, or elected official.
For example: With a judge, police officer, or council member your leader arranges, you might ask: Which constitutional right do people misunderstand most? What does serving on a jury involve? Why do local elections matter so much?
- Requirement 9b
Look into an environmental issue in your community, share what you learned with your patrol or troop, and tell what you or your community could do about it
Tip: Pick an issue near you, like litter in a creek or invasive plants. Talk with a county extension office or city staff about possible solutions.
For example: Pick something you can see: litter in a creek after storms, invasive plants crowding a park, or a busy road with no safe crossing near school. Find out who is responsible, then share two or three possible fixes with your patrol.
- Requirement 9c
On a Scouting or family outing, note the trash you produce; before a similar outing, plan how to reduce, recycle, or reuse what you bring, carry out the plan, and compare results
Tip: Weigh or count the trash from one outing, then plan ways to reduce or recycle it next time and compare.
For example: On one campout, put all trash in one bag and weigh it at home on a bathroom scale. Next trip, repackage food at home and use reusable containers, then weigh again and compare.
- Requirement 9d
Give 3 hours of service on one or more Scoutmaster-approved projects, different from those used for Tenderfoot 7b and Second Class 8e; explain how serving others relates to the Scout Law
Tip: Do service at more than one approved project and think about which Scout Law points they show.
- Requirement 10
Tell an inactive Scout, or a youth who could join, about your Scouting; invite them to a meeting, outing, activity, or service project; explain how to join or urge them to come back; tell your Scoutmaster or another adult leader what you did
Tip: Invite a friend, classmate, or Scout who stopped coming to a fun troop activity. Share what happened with your leader.
For example: Invite a classmate to something fun and low-pressure, like a climbing night or a day hike. Afterward, tell your leader who you invited, how you asked, and what happened, even if they didn't come.
- Requirement 11
Show Scout spirit by living the Oath and Law; share how you've carried out your duty to God and lived out four Scout Law points (not ones used for earlier ranks) day to day
Tip: Pick four new Scout Law points and share real stories of how you live them.
- Requirement 12
After finishing Second Class 11 and while working on First Class, have a Scoutmaster conference
Tip: Talk with your Scoutmaster about what you've learned and what you want to do next, like merit badges or leadership.
- Requirement 13
Pass your First Class board of review
Tip: Your First Class board of review is a chance to celebrate. Share what you're proud of and what's ahead.
Ask yourself
- Which First Class skill would you most want to have if your family faced an emergency?
- What was it like being camp cook, and what would you change next time?
- Which skill took the most practice, and what kept you going?
- How do newer Scouts act around you now, and how do you want them to see you?
- With the core skills behind you, what kind of Scout do you want to be next?
Good questions to ask your Scoutmaster at your conference
- Which positions of responsibility could I try as I work toward Star?
- Which merit badges would you suggest I start with, and why?
- What makes a patrol leader really good, in your experience?
- How can I use what I've learned to help Scouts working on Tenderfoot and Second Class?
Helpful reads
- How advancement works, Ranks, sign-offs, conferences, and boards of review in plain words: how a Scout moves from Scout rank to Eagle, at a pace that fits your life., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Your Scoutmaster conference and board of review, What happens at each, how to get ready, questions they might ask you, and questions you can ask them. It's a conversation, not a test., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Plan a campout around patrol cooking where each Scout serves as camp cook for a meal.
- Set up an orienteering course or attend a local orienteering event so Scouts can practice navigation.
- Arrange a supervised swim and boating session with qualified adults for the aquatic requirements.
People & places that can help
- Scoutmaster and older Scouts — Can teach lashing, cooking, and first aid skills.
- National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) — Local forecasts and severe weather safety tips.
- American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) — CPR, first aid, and water safety classes.
- Ready.gov (opens in a new tab) — Tips for making a family emergency plan.
- Orienteering USA (opens in a new tab) — Find orienteering clubs and events near you to practice on a real course.
- National Weather Service Safety (opens in a new tab) — Plain safety tips for lightning, floods, heat, tornadoes, and more.
- Ready.gov Kids (opens in a new tab) — Games and checklists to help your family build an emergency plan.
- The Bill of Rights (opens in a new tab) — Read the amendments yourself before you talk about rights and obligations.
Pairs well with
Named in these requirements
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.