In this week’s adventure, Laura invites Explorers on a journey to Japan to meet Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess. According to ancient chronicles, Amaterasu is revered as the goddess of the sun and the universe. Legends tell how she once hid herself inside the Heavenly Rock Cave after a quarrel, plunging the world into darkness. The gods devised a joyful plan to coax her out by hanging jewels and a mirror on a sacred sakaki tree and dancing with laughter until curiosity drew her from the cave, restoring light to the world.

As we learn this story, Laura guides kids through Sun Salutation, a yoga sequence that awakens the body, builds strength and flexibility, and helps us honor the light within ourselves. Research shows that yoga and mindfulness can improve balance, strength, endurance and aerobic capacity in school‑age children; it can also boost focus, memory and self‑esteem, and reduce anxiety and stress. This movement‑meets‑mythology episode will leave young listeners feeling grounded, grateful and ready to shine.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode

• A Shinto legend of light: learn about Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, and how the gods used music, dance and a mirror to bring her out of hiding.
• Sun Salutation sequence: flow through a gentle series of poses (mountain, forward fold, plank, cobra and downward dog) designed for kids. We talk about how this sequence wakes up our muscles, stretches our bodies and calms our mind.
• Spark of Light game: imagine what brightens your world, from family and friends to acts of kindness, and share your ideas with Laura.
• Belief Backpack treasures: pack gratitude, resilience and curiosity into your Belief Backpack to carry with you all week long.

Perfect for children ages 5–12 and their grown‑ups, this story‑meets‑movement adventure shows how legends can inspire healthy habits and inner strength. Bring a yoga mat (or a beach towel), comfy clothes and your imagination.

For Parents and Educators

This episode introduces Shinto mythology, basic yoga and social‑emotional learning in one engaging lesson. Suggested uses include:

• Homeschool enrichment: pair the legend of Amaterasu with a Sun Salutation practice and journal about how light is important in different cultures.
• Classroom SEL: use the Spark of Light game as a circle‑time activity; ask students to share ways they bring light to others.
• Movement breaks: practice Sun Salutation between lessons to reset focus and build physical strength.
• Comparative religion studies: explore sun deities in different traditions and discuss similarities (e.g., Apollo, Ra) and differences.

Printable Activities & Experiments

Make the learning hands‑on! Our Shining Science 4: Light and Sun Experiments for Kids pack is a great follow‑up to this episode. Inside you’ll find four simple experiments that explore the science of sunlight. Try making a sun dial, creating rainbows, revealing sun prints and crafting a solar oven. These activities complement the Amaterasu myth by showing how sunlight affects our daily lives. Use them:

• After listening to the episode, challenge kids to build their own version and record observations over several days.
• Pair the Sun Salutation with a shadow‑tracking experiment; measure your shadow in the morning and afternoon to see how the sun’s position changes.
• Discuss how ancient people used the sun for timekeeping and seasons, connecting science to mythology.

Grab your copy here: Shining Science 4 – Light and Sun Experiments for Kids.

Belief Backpack Quick Facts

• Your inner light matters: just like the sun goddess, we all carry a brightness that can lift others.
• Teamwork brings light: the gods restored sunlight by working together; collaboration can solve problems.
• Movement and mindfulness help us shine: yoga builds strength and calm.
• Curiosity sparks discovery: exploring science experiments teaches us to ask questions and seek answers.

Share your thoughts and shout‑outs! Have a grown‑up help you send a voice recording to faithfullyexplore@gmail.com or tag us on Instagram or Facebook for a chance to be featured in a future episode. Keep shining, little Explorers!

Hello, friends, and welcome to Faithly Explore. I'm Laura, your guide on this journey. Imagine a world long ago in Japan where the sun is guided by a shining goddess.

Animals talk to gods and every river, tree and mountain has a spirit.

Faithfully explores the name Learning together is our aim. Beliefs around the globe we'll track filling up our belie.

Our story begins with a goddess named Amaterasu. In Shinto tradition of Japan, Amaterasu is the sun Goddess. Her job is to make the sun shine and bring light to the world.

Every morning when Amaterasu emerged, the sky glowed pink and gold. Amaterasu had a younger brother named Susanoo, the spirit of storms and the sea. Susano could be wild and mischievous.

One day, Susano stomped through Amaterasu's rice fields and even made a huge mess in her heavenly weaving room. Imagine someone coming into your room and throwing your things everywhere. How would you feel? Amaterasu felt hurt and angry.

She ran into a cave, a secret, dark cave called Ama no Iwato, and sealed the entrance shut behind her with a big boulder. Suddenly, the sun disappeared. Without Amaterasu, there was no light. The world went dark as night, even though it was daytime.

Can you imagine how everyone felt when the sky stayed dark all day? It would be scary and sad, wouldn't it? The plants would droop and people everywhere would shiver in cold darkness.

Everyone missed Amaterasu's warm light terribly. All the other kami, the Japanese word for spirits or gods, knew they had to do something. They loved Amaterasu and needed her to come out.

How could they convince the sun goddess to leave her cave? The kami elm held a meeting by a clear river. They whispered and chattered, coming up with ideas. Finally, the wisest guy, God, had a clever plan.

First, they gathered roosters. Lots of roosters. Why roosters? Roosters crow loudly at dawn every morning, almost like they're calling for the sun to rise.

The gods thought if Amaterasu heard roosters crowing, she might think, is the morning. Here is the sun. That's supposed to be me out there. So they placed roosters near the cave to crow as if a new dawn was happening without her.

Next, the gods took a beautiful mirror, shiny and polished, and hung it on the branch of a sacred tree outside the cave entrance. They also hung spider sparkling jewels around the tree. When the mirror and jewels swayed, they twinkled and shone.

Imagine little beams of light dancing around the cave entrance. Then came the best part of the plan. A dance and music party. One of the kami, a fun, loving Goddess named Ama no Uzume put on a performance.

We'll call her Uzume for short. Uzume, the goddess of laughter and dawn. She overturned a wooden tub to make a small stage. Then she began to dance.

Uzume's dance was joyful, silly, and full of energy. Can you dance with her? She stomped her feet on the wooden tub, making the ground shake a little.

She twirled around, waved her arms and made funniest faces. The other gods gathered around and began laughing out loud. Zume kept dancing wildly.

She even pretended to slip and sat down with a thump, making everyone laugh harder. Now imagine poor Amaterasu sitting inside her dark cave. She's upset and lonely. It's completely quiet. But then she hears something faint outside.

Amaterasu's ears perk up. Is that music? And laughing, she thinks. How could anyone be laughing at a time like this, when the world is dark?

Slowly, Amaterasu tiptoed closer to the huge boulder at the cave's mouth. Outside, she heard a party. Are they having fun without me? She wondered. Then she heard roosters crowing and the gods calling out, wow.

Look at that new goddess dancing. She's so bright and beautiful. They were joking, of course. Amaterasu felt a mix of curiosity and a little jealousy. A new goddess, brighter than her.

How could that be? Finally, Amaterasu couldn't resist anymore. She decided to take a peek outside. She slid the boulder door a tiny crack and peered out of the cave.

Outside, it was still mostly dark, but she could hear drums and laughter clearly. Azume was right in front, dancing away. The other kami were clapping the rhythm.

Amaterasu opened the cave door a bit wider, just enough for a sliver of her light to shine out. At that very moment, gods flashed the mirror towards Amaterasu. Amaterasu saw a shining, beautiful goddess looking back at her from that mirror.

She gasped. She thought it was someone new, a radiant goddess coming out to join the dance.

As she pushed the cave door open a bit more in surprise, the roosters crowed loudly, as if shouting, hooray. The sun is back. At that moment, the strong God nearby, who had been waiting for this, quickly hugged Amaterasu out of the cave completely.

Another God pulled the boulder back and hung a sacred rope across the entrance so she couldn't run and hide again. Amaterasu stepped outside. Her light burst across the world. The sun goddess gazed around in amazement as the darkness vanished.

The rivers sparkled, the leaves glowed green, and all the gods and people cheered with joy. The birds started chirping Happily, even Amaterasu couldn't help but smile.

She realized how much everyone appreciated her light and how clever and caring her fellow kami had been. To cheer her up, the gods thanked Amaterasu for coming back and thanked Uzume for her plan.

From that day on, whenever Amaterasu felt sad or angry, she remembered the happiness when she left the cave. And she kept shining for the world. To this day, people remember this story.

In fact, the mirror and jewels used to lure out Amaterasu became sacred treasures of Japan, symbolizing how important truth and joy are in bringing light. And roosters still call it dawn, almost like they're calling out to the sun, like in our story.

I love how instead of using anger, the other gods used creativity, kindness and a bit of silliness to solve the problem. They showed Amaterasu she was loved and needed even when she felt upset. And it worked.

Explorers if you had fun imagining the sun peeking out of Amaterasu's cave, I've got something extra for you. I made a printable Shining Science 4 Light and Sun Experiments for Kids. It has experiments you can try at home with your family.

Making a sundial, catching rainbows, creating sun prints, or baking gooey s' mores in a solar oven. After you finish the episode, try one of these experiments and notice how light changes the world.

You'll find the link to download it in the show notes. Now, how about we do something with our bodies to celebrate the sun's light returning? We're going to learn a special sun salutation.

A simple yoga flow. Sun salutation has been practiced for thousands of years to welcome the rising sun.

It's a way to thank the sun for shining and to wake up our bodies with light and energy. Let's stand up. Make sure you have a space around you. Feet on the ground, a little bit apart, arms relaxed at your sides.

We'll do a simple sun salutation together, step by step. Remember, move in a way that feels good for your body.

It's okay if you do a smaller stretch or pause when you need to take a nice slow breath in and out. Our first pose is mountain pose. We're going to stand tall and strong like a mountain. Feel your feet press into the ground.

Inhale and slowly reach your arms up toward the sky. Imagine pushing open the heavy stone door of the cave, letting the first ray of sunlight come out. Feel your chest open and look about your hands.

Exhale. Bend forward at the hips, reaching for your toes. It's okay if you can't touch them. Hold your shins or knees. Let your head hang down.

You are like Amaterasu, hiding away. Inhale. Lift your head and chest, straightening your back flat like a table. Place your hands on your shins or knees for support.

Imagine you spot a tiny glimmer. You're peeking out to see it. Exhale. Place your hands on the floor in front of you. Step one foot back, then the other.

Your hips go up and your body makes an upside down V shape called Downward Facing Dog. Spread your fingers wide. Take a deep breath. Maybe you could even give a little wag of your pretend doggy tail. Gently lower your knees to the ground.

Then your belly and chest. Hands by your shoulders. Inhale and press your chest up. Shoulders back. Your lower body stays on the ground as your chest lifts.

You are a snake, feeling the warm sun on your face. Exhale, tuck your toes. Push your hips back to the sky.

Returning to the upside down V shaped downward dog, pretend to crow like a rooster calling for the sun. Now slowly walk your feet towards your hands and come back to that forward bend with your upper body hanging down and relaxed. Inhale and exhale.

Imagine gathering the light and joy back just like Amaterasu stepping out of the cave. Inhale deeply. Stretch your arms out and up toward the sky. As you stand up, reach high rise on your tip tiptoes.

If you're feeling balanced, spread your fingers wide like they are the sun's rays spreading across the sky. Exhale. Bring your hands together in front of your heart like you're thanking the sun. Lower your heels if on tiptoes. You did it.

That was a sun salutation. Do that again on your own or with family each time. Imagine you're bringing more light into the world and let go of any darkness or or worries.

How do you feel? By linking our breath to our movement, we calm our minds and strengthen our bodies. Let's put some treasures in our belief backpack.

These are lessons we can carry with us. We learned how even the brightest among us can feel sad or angry and want to hide.

Sometimes when someone we love feels down, gentle encouragement can help bring back their shine. The mirror and jewel from Amaterasu's story are like symbols of hope.

We can keep them in our belief backpack to remember light will return even after dark times. We also learned a sun salutation, a way to connect body and breath.

This is a tool we can use to find calm and strength or do it anytime we need a bit of sunshine in our hearts. Our belief backpack is heavier. These are treasures we can carry as we explore the world of beliefs. Thank you for joining me.

Today we traveled through a Shinto myth from Japan, moved to welcome the sun. I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I did. Shh. It's a little secret just for you listeners.

Next time, we'll journey through different beliefs about the afterlife. What people around the world think happens after we die. It's going to be an exploration of heavens, rebirths, and more.

Thank you for listening and exploring with me. Keep that sunlight in your heart Even on the darkest days? A little dance, a deep breath, or a kind friend can help the light come back.

Until next time, stay curious and keep exploring. Bye for now.

Faithfully explores about you? Let's grow kinder together? It's true.