Activities to Celebrate Great Outdoors Month 2009

President Bush officially declared June as "Great Outdoors Month" in 2004. The goal of this initiative was to encourage people to have active lifestyles to fight obesity, promote volunteerism, protect the environment and to encourage citizens, especially America's youth, to enjoy our magnificent, great outdoors.

June 7-13th is also "Great Outdoors Week" for 2009 and June 13th is "National Get Outdoors Day". Our fifty states are already gearing up for these events. Maine, for example, is offering a windjammer cruise on its tourism website in honor of Great Outdoors Month. Leave No Trace (LNT) ethics are taught on this cruise, and certificates are provided at the completion of the trip. And, so far, thirty-seven states have issued their own proclamations regarding Great Outdoors Month.

In the United States, there are 58 National Parks. When was the last time you visited one? Great Outdoors Month is a terrific time to learn about them. If visiting one is not an option, consider taking the time to view the National Parks in your state on the internet.

To celebrate Great Outdoors Month, people are encouraged to get outside and get active. How can you do this? Go hiking, take a walk, go rock climbing, clean up some trash on a beach, take your family camping, go fishing, visit a local park, etc. If you live in more urban areas and don't have easy access to wide open spaces, then play tennis. Ride a bicycle. Play basketball with your kids. Go in your own backyard and just enjoy being outside. The goal is to be outdoors, and the options are endless. (If you are still at a loss for ideas, walk around a Bass Pro Shop. I, being a cosmopolitan female who does not really enjoy outdoor activities as a general rule, was actually in awe of this store. If you don't know what to do outside, you'll find some ideas here.)

Since the primary goal of Great Outdoors Month is to reconnect America's youth with the joys of playing outside, don't forget to get your kids involved in discovering ways of enjoying the outdoors. There is life beyond television and video games. Take this opportunity to try a new family activity. Unless they are in a year round school, kids are typically on summer vacation in June. The weather is great. What other reasons do you need to enjoy the beautiful splendor of the great outdoors?

Sources:
http://www.funoutdoors.com/taxonomy/view/or/115
http://www.nps.gov/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_National_Parks_by_state