Health and Human Development

Nature journaling provides differing benefits to adults, youth

Researchers found the outdoor recreational activity can help adults find fellowship, youth experience wildlife up close

Nature journaling, a recreational activity that has helped adults reconnect with their communities, became increasingly popular during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Provided by Lucy McClain. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nature journaling — a recreational activity where people use words or pictures to capture an observation while outside in nature — became increasingly popular during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. A new study led by researchers in the Penn State Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management found that adults and youth differ in the reasons they are drawn to nature journaling.

The team, led by Associate Teaching Professor Lucy McClain and doctoral student Amy Powell, found that adults appreciated the fellowship and community-building aspects of nature journaling whereas youth appreciated the opportunities for different wildlife sightings. The researchers published their work in the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning.

“Coming out of the pandemic, many adults were faced with social isolation,” McClain said. “Outdoor programs like nature journaling were beneficial for people’s individual wellbeing and also helped them reconnect with their local community.”

The researchers said nature journaling is an example of outdoor recreation that it is accessible and appealing to many different people, as participants do not need to be skilled artists or writers.

“Nature journaling can attract a wide variety of people who may or may not have limited experiences in nature,” Powell said. “We see a wide range of ages engaged in nature journaling and wanted to gain insight into the social, educational and artistic aspects of the activity.”

The researchers conducted a qualitative study over a 12-month period with 153 individuals who participated in nature journaling, including 112 adults, ranging from 23 to 75 years old, and 41 youth, ranging from 6 to 13 years old. After attending nature journaling sessions hosted by Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center in central Pennsylvania, both adults and youth participants were surveyed about their wellbeing and what they learned from the program. The research team tracked these responses and noted common themes and experiences participants reported.

“What we observed was a very community-driven atmosphere, especially with adults,” McClain said. “It’s a meditative experience, but it is also a social experience happening between participants. This is something noted in their surveys — that they enjoyed being around people who have similar interests and being a part of a community.”

Adults also indicated they enjoyed learning about new nature journaling techniques and the natural world around them. Nature journaling can serve as an educational tool for environmental education, according to the researchers.

“Although this study focused on the outcomes of nature journaling during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, these outcomes are still relevant today,” Powell said. “People may still seek to improve their wellbeing through being in community and slowing down to be mindful in nature. Future nature journaling programs can tailor their design to meet the desired outcomes of their participants.”

The researchers said because youth participants attended the sessions with family members their community and social support needs were intrinsically met. Instead, youth participants were more drawn to nature journaling for the chance to engage with the outdoors in an authentic, up-close experience.

According to the researchers, additional analysis of participants preliminarily suggests that nature journaling may have a beneficial effect on mental health, in addition to community building and outdoor engagement.

“Nature journaling can be an avenue for people to relieve stress,” McClain said. “It can also help people deal with grief or process anxiety or depression. Nature journaling is restorative, giving people a chance to slow down, disconnect from the stressors of daily life, and pay attention to their surroundings and be creative in how they capture that.”

Kyle A. Bettwy, who graduated with a bachelor of science degree in microbiology at Penn State in 2020, collaborated on this research.

Last Updated January 30, 2025

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