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Great Outdoors Month Workplace Ideas

Celebrate Great Outdoors Month with workplace activities that encourage movement, reduce stress, strengthen team relationships, and support local parks and communities.

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Great Outdoors Month graphic for workplace activities
IN CONTEXT

Why Great Outdoors Month Workplace Ideas Matter

Outdoor activities can support employee well-being, connection, and engagement while creating memorable shared experiences.

Explore ways to celebrate

Read the history of Great Outdoors Month

OUTDOOR ENGAGEMENT

Maximize Employee Engagement through Outdoor Incentives

Outdoor recreation can have many health benefits, including reducing stress, promoting physical activity, and providing opportunities for relaxation. It can also have significant economic benefits for local communities and the national economy.

It is also a fantastic opportunity to engage with your work teams in a fun and casual environment.

Boost your employee engagement initiatives by helping managers to provide enticing spring and summer incentives to encourage visiting the great outdoors for their teams. Whether it entails organizing a team outing, hosting a picnic in the park, or distributing food delivery gift cards for a nice outdoor picnic, offering employees a range of options will enhance the effectiveness of your employee appreciation initiatives.

Employees volunteering together on an outdoor project
Employees socializing and dancing at a company picnic
CELEBRATION IDEAS

Ways to Celebrate National Great Outdoors Month

The list of ways to celebrate the outdoors is virtually endless. Besides hiking, fishing, mountain biking, or camping there are also lots of volunteer opportunities in the great outdoors

Volunteer Outdoor Services

Perhaps your local parks have opportunities for your group to get together and donate some labor? Try out a park cleanup, a simple maintenance task like painting at a local park or trail cleanup or an outdoor steward program. It’s a great chance to share a picnic lunch after a few hours of (optional) work.

Park Cleanup

Cleanups can be fun! It’s a bit of work but you’re supporting organizational skills, time-management abilities, and a sense of responsibility within your team, while you give back to the community.

Tree Planting Team Exercise

Tree planting can be a fun activity and it allows your team to work together to give back to the environment while interacting, engaging, and making rewarding memories. Provide plenty of refreshments and a nice outdoor lunch. There are things to do for every skill and strength level, from the strenuous tasks of digging to the easier tasks of moving wheelbarrows or something as simple as providing refreshments to the group.

Team Picnic

Picnics are a superb way to celebrate Great Outdoors Month and strengthen work relationships. Company picnics are also excellent opportunities to spend time with your colleagues’ families and socialize outside of the office. Company picnics can be fun experiences and lend themselves to becoming a yearly event if you make sure they don’t become boring with the same kind of event every year. Mix them up with different menus, food trucks, games, and entertainment. Perhaps create a theme for each picnic event such as backwoods, pirate, or tropics themed events.

Adopt a Park

Many municipalities have park sponsorship programs at various levels. You might encourage your teams to become involved with the park either through a donation of money or a commitment to a certain number of labor hours each year.

Team Building Ideas

There are dozens of traditional team-building activities that are suitable for the great outdoors. These range from charity runs and walks to outdoor scavenger hunts to hikes in the great outdoors.

Watershed Cleanup Days

Many organizations sponsor cleanup events for creeks, rivers and other natural water bodies. Join a crew to remove trash from the banks of a river or a pond. You can search organizations such as American Rivers for cleanup efforts near your location.

Hiking

National Trails Day falls on the first Saturday in June. Pair a team hike with a small service project: bring litter bags, volunteer on a trail crew, or support a local access initiative.

ENGAGEMENT MIX

Use a Combination of Engagement Strategies

Successful organizations use a full combination of events, meetings and engagements as well as employee engagement incentives and reward programs to help retain and attract high-quality employees.

Outdoor activities are great for morale, well-being and for team-building.

No matter the occasion, a little bit of fun in the workplace along with unexpected gifts can boost morale, build team spirit and foster a sense of loyalty to the organization.

Employee engagement is key to maintaining a productive and motivated workforce. Engaged employees are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, and more likely to contribute to company goals and objectives.

OUTDOORS MONTH HISTORY

The History of National Great Outdoors Month

01

National Park Trusts’ Kids to Parks Day

Great Outdoors Month began in 1998 under President Bill Clinton as Great Outdoors Week and has now grown into a month-long celebration of America’s public lands and waters at the national, state, and local levels.

In subsequent years, the observance expanded beyond a week to encompass the entire month of June. President George W. Bush officially designated June as “Great Outdoors Month” in 2004. The purpose of this month-long celebration is to encourage Americans to explore and enjoy the natural beauty of the country, participate in outdoor recreational activities, and promote conservation efforts.

Since then, Great Outdoors Month has been recognized annually by presidential proclamation, with various events and activities organized nationwide to encourage outdoor recreation and appreciation of the environment. These activities include camping trips, hiking adventures, fishing excursions, wildlife watching, and volunteering for conservation projects. Great Outdoors Month serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving and protecting natural spaces for future generations to enjoy.

Great Outdoors Month is a month-long celebration of responsible, healthy outdoor recreation on local, state, and federal lands and waters. Every June, folks across the country go outdoors to enjoy nature and open spaces.

Great Outdoors Month is coordinated in part by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and includes events held throughout the month including:

Some events—like National Marina Days and The Great American Campout—last all summer. And, of course, you can always hike, bike, camp, ride, fish, boat, and more in our great outdoors.

The pandemic reminded us all how important getting outside is to our mental, physical and economic health.

It is important to remember that outdoor recreation improves mental and physical health, something that is advantageous to colleagues and employees.

More Outdoor Days!

National Park Trusts’ Kids to Parks Day

02

RV Industry’s National Go RVing Day

RV Industry’s National Go RVing Day

03

American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day®

American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day®

04

National Fishing and Boating Week

National Fishing and Boating Week, coordinated by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

MORE EVENTS

More Great Outdoors Month Events

05

National Get Outdoors Day

National Get Outdoors Day, coordinated by ORR and the U.S. Forest Service

06

National Marina Days

National Marina Days, coordinated by the Association of Marina Industries

07

National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Campout

National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Campout

AT A GLANCE

Official Outdoor Days to Recognize

You may consider offering your employees a choice of gifts to use for Great Outdoors Month and make them aware of the following celebrations.

Here a few official ‘Outdoor’ days:

American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day

National Trails Day is held on the first Saturday in June. The American Hiking Society uses the day to encourage trail service, stewardship, and inclusive access to trails and natural areas. Confirm current event details with the American Hiking Society.

National Fishing & Boating Week

National Fishing and Boating Week begins on the first Saturday in June and runs for nine days. Many states schedule free fishing opportunities during the week, but license rules and dates vary, so confirm details with the appropriate state agency.

Outdoor Stewardship Week

The National Association of Conservation Districts has hosted Stewardship Week since 1955 to promote the responsible care of soil, water, forests, and other natural resources. Dates and themes change each year, so consult the organization’s current Stewardship Week materials before planning an event.

Recognize National Get Outdoors Day

National Get Outdoors Day is celebrated each June to encourage a healthy, active day outside. Participating public lands may offer special programs or fee-free access; check the current schedule and local site rules before promoting an event.

Great American Campout

Use the Great American Campout idea as a prompt to plan an accessible outdoor experience in June or later in the summer. Whether people choose a tent, a cabin, or an RV, the goal is to step away from the routine and spend meaningful time in the natural world.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Add Employee Achievement Awards to Your Outdoor Celebration

Celebrating with awards or gifts shows appreciation for employees and boosts morale in the workplace. Recognizing small achievements and milestones can help create a sense of team camaraderie and a culture of fun.

However, it’s important to be consistent and follow any rules the organization has established.

Small awards or gifts can be a great way to show appreciation for employees and build a positive work culture.

Employees playing a group game during an outdoor company event
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