Scout skills
The skills behind the requirements: knots you can tie with your eyes closed, the promises Scouts live by, and how to care for the outdoors. Each one shows where you'll use it.
Knots and hitches
The knots every Scout learns first, step by step. Practice each one until your hands know it without looking.
- Square knot, Ties two ends of the same rope together around something — a bandage, a bundle, a bag. Flat, neat, and easy to untie., 3 min
- Two half hitches, A quick, dependable way to tie a rope to a post, ring, or tree — and easy to untie when you're done., 3 min
- Taut-line hitch, An adjustable loop that holds under tension, so you can tighten a tent guyline or clothesline just by sliding the knot., 4 min
- Clove hitch, Two turns around a pole that grip each other. It starts and ends most lashings and ties a line to a post in seconds., 3 min
- Timber hitch, Grips a log or pole while there's a pull, then falls apart easily. Use it to drag a log or start a diagonal lashing., 3 min
- Bowline, A fixed loop at the end of a rope that won't slip tighter or come undone under load, and still unties easily afterward., 4 min
- Sheet bend, Joins two ropes, even ropes of different thickness. It's the bowline's cousin, and it unties easily., 3 min
- Figure eight, A chunky stopper knot that keeps a rope from sliding through a hole or pulley — and the starting point for climbing knots., 3 min
Rope words
- Working end
- The end of the rope you move around to tie the knot.
- Standing part
- The rest of the rope — the long part that isn't doing the tying, and usually takes the pull.
- Bight
- A U-shaped bend in the rope, where it doesn't cross itself.
- Loop
- A bend where the rope crosses over itself, making a circle.
- Turn
- One pass of the rope around a post, pole, or another rope.
- Hitch
- A knot that ties a rope to something else, like a post, ring, or tree.
- Bend
- A knot that joins two ropes together.
Outdoor skills
Finding your way and handling fire safely — the skills that make a campout go well.
First aid
What to do when someone gets hurt, and what to carry so you're ready.
Ideals and citizenship
The promises Scouts make and try to live by, and how to honor the flag.
Outdoor ethics
How to enjoy the outdoors and leave it as good as you found it — or better.