Tenderfoot Requirements

These are old Tenderfoot requirements. See the 2016 requirements.

Tenderfoot is the first rank earned as a Boy Scout. The requirements of becoming a Tenderfoot provide basic skills to begin preparing the scout for higher adventure outings. Earning badges and receiving recognition can be very satisfying to boys. However, keep in mind that the badge is only a representation of a valuable set of skills that a scout has learned and demonstrated. The skills, wisdom, and experience gained through the activities of the scouting program are of much more value than a small badge.

Individual requirement items for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class ranks may be worked on simultaneously depending on your program offerings but the ranks must be earned in the proper sequence.

How to Join:

1. Go to BeAScout.org
2. Click the 'Boy Scouts' tab.
3. Enter your zipcode and click the arrow button.
4. Click on a Troop near you to see its contact info so you can call the Troop or your local Council about joining.
5. Complete a BSA Youth Application and Health Record and give them to the Scoutmaster of the Troop you choose.

1. Present yourself to your leader, properly dressed, before going on an overnight camping trip. Show the camping gear you will use. Show the right way to pack and carry it.
2. Spend at least one night on a patrol or troop campout. Sleep in a tent you have helped pitch.
3. On the campout, assist in preparing and cooking one of your patrol's meals. Tell why it is important for each patrol member to share in meal preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating together.
4. a. Demonstrate how to whip and fuse the ends of a rope.
   b. Demonstrate that you know how to tie the following knots and tell what their uses are: two half hitches and the taut-line hitch.
   c. Using the EDGE method, teach another person how to tie the square knot.
5. Explain the rules of safe hiking, both on the highway and cross-country, during the day and at night. Explain what to do if you are lost.
6. Demonstrate how to display, raise, lower, and fold the American flag.
7. Repeat from memory and explain in your own words the Scout Oath, Law, motto, and slogan.
8. Know your patrol name, give the patrol yell, and describe your patrol flag.
9. Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.
10. a. Record your best in the following tests:

    Skill	Current	After 30 days
    Push Ups	__________	__________
    Pull Ups	__________	__________
    Sit Ups	__________	__________
    Standing Long Jump	__________	__________
    1/4mile walk/run	__________	__________

    b. Show improvement in the activities listed in requirement 10a after practicing for 30 days.
11. Identify local poisonous plants; tell how to treat for exposure to them.
12. a. Demonstrate how to care for someone who is choking.
    b. Show first aid for the following:

    - Simple cuts and scrapes

    - Blisters on the hand and foot

    - Minor (thermal/heat) burns or scalds (superficial, or first degree)

    - Bites or stings of insects and ticks

    - Venomous snakebite

    - Nosebleed

    - Frostbite and sunburn

13. Demonstrate Scout Spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life. Discuss four specific examples of how you have lived the points of the Scout Law in your daily life.
14. Participate in a Scoutmaster conference.
15. Successfully complete your board of review for the Tenderfoot rank.

Alternate requirements for Tenderfoot Rank are available for Scouts with physical or mental disabilities if they meet the criteria listed in Alternate Requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Ranks