The Awareness Treasure Hunt

Back to Mind Explorers (Ages 7-12)

This series of games helps children develop a deeper understanding of the nature of their own awareness and the way their experiences arise within it. By exploring the relationships between various aspects of their experience (such as sounds, sights, thoughts, and feelings) and the “background” or “container” in which they appear, children can begin to cultivate a more spacious and flexible perspective on their own minds and the world around them.

This practice encourages a shift from identifying with the contents of awareness (the “foreground” experiences) to recognizing the awareness itself (the “background” in which these experiences arise). By learning to see thoughts, emotions, and sensations as temporary appearances within a larger field of awareness, children can develop greater resilience, adaptability, and emotional regulation skills.

Additionally, by approaching these explorations with a sense of playfulness and curiosity, rather than trying to intellectually grasp the concepts, children can cultivate a more direct and experiential understanding of their own minds and the nature of reality. This can foster a sense of wonder, openness, and connection to the present moment, as well as a greater appreciation for the mystery and beauty of existence.

Introduction script for the child:

				
					Hey there, young explorer! Today, we're going on a special adventure called "The Awareness Treasure Hunt." We'll be looking at different aspects of our experience, like sounds, sights, thoughts, and feelings, and asking ourselves a big question: "What is this happening in?" It's like we're trying to find the treasure chest that holds all these experiences. Along the way, we'll play some fun games that will help us discover new ways of looking at the world around us and inside our minds. Are you ready to join the hunt?

Instructions for the teacher:

Guide the child through each of the following games, encouraging them to approach the experiences with a sense of curiosity and playfulness, rather than trying to figure out the “right” answer.

Game 1: The Sounds of Silence

Ask the child to close their eyes and listen to the sounds around them.
Encourage them to notice the space of silence before and after each sound.
Invite them to imagine that each sound appears in a field of silence and to shift their focus slightly from the sounds to the silence they appear in.

Game 2: The Movie Screen of My Mind

Have the child close their eyes and observe what they see in their mind’s eye.
Ask them to imagine these images appearing on a movie screen, blank canvas, sheet of white paper, or whiteboard.
Encourage them to play with the idea that they are the blank screen upon which these images appear.

Game 3: The Empty Mind

Invite the child to watch their thoughts and emotions as they arise in their mind.
Ask them to imagine their mind as an empty vessel into which these thoughts and emotions appear.
Encourage them to consider the idea that their mind remains unaffected by the thoughts and emotions that come and go.

Game 4: Body in Spaciousness

Ask the child to close their eyes and focus on the feeling of their body.
Invite them to consider where this feeling is felt and to play with the idea that it might be felt in a space slightly larger than and outside of their physical body.

Game 5: Big I and Little Me

Encourage the child to observe their sense of self, or the “me” that they identify with.
Ask them to imagine this “Little Me” appearing within a larger, more expansive “Big I.”
Invite them to consider what this “Big I” might be and how it contains their sense of self.

Game 6: Time and Now

Ask the child to think about the concept of time and how we experience moments passing.
Invite them to imagine “Now” as an empty vessel or an eternal, infinite field that contains each moment of time as it happens.
Encourage them to get a sense of this idea without overthinking it, focusing on their felt experience rather than intellectual understanding.

Follow-up questions for discussion:

What was it like to explore these different aspects of your experience, like sounds, sights, thoughts, and feelings?
Did you discover anything new or surprising about the way you experience the world and your own mind?
Which of the games did you find most interesting or challenging, and why?
How do you think looking at your experiences in this way might change the way you understand yourself and the world around you?

Follow-up resource:

To further explore the concept of awareness and the way our experiences arise within it, consider introducing your child to the book “Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda” by Lauren Alderfer. This charming story follows the journey of a monkey named Monkey Mind, who is always busy with thoughts and worries, and his friend Happy Panda, who teaches him how to find peace and happiness through mindfulness.

Through simple, child-friendly language and delightful illustrations, the book introduces the idea that our thoughts and feelings are like passing clouds in the sky of our awareness, and that we can learn to observe them without getting caught up in them. By engaging with this gentle and uplifting story, children can develop a greater understanding of their own minds and emotions, as well as practical tools for cultivating mindfulness, resilience, and inner peace in their daily lives.

Resource Read Aloud

Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda Quiz

1. Who are the two main characters in the book?
a) Elephant and Giraffe
b) Monkey and Panda
c) Lion and Tiger
d) Rabbit and Fox

2. What is Monkey’s main problem in the story?
a) He can’t find food
b) He’s always sleepy
c) His mind is very busy
d) He can’t climb trees

3. How does Panda appear to Monkey?
a) Grumpy and mean
b) Silly and playful
c) Calm and happy
d) Loud and energetic

4. What does Monkey want to learn from Panda?
a) How to eat bamboo
b) How to be so calm and happy
c) How to climb higher
d) How to make friends

5. What does Panda teach Monkey about?
a) Yoga
b) Mindfulness
c) Martial arts
d) Cooking

6. What does Panda say about thoughts?
a) We should ignore all thoughts
b) Thoughts are bad
c) We can notice thoughts without getting caught up in them
d) We should only have happy thoughts

7. What does Panda compare the mind to?
a) A quiet lake
b) A stormy sea
c) A blue sky with passing clouds
d) A dark cave

8. What activity does Panda suggest to help Monkey be more mindful?
a) Jumping up and down
b) Talking all the time
c) Focusing on his breath
d) Sleeping more

9. How does Monkey feel after practicing mindfulness?
a) More stressed
b) More tired
c) More calm and focused
d) More hungry

10. What is the main lesson of the book?
a) Monkeys are better than pandas
b) Being busy all the time is good
c) Mindfulness can help us feel calmer and happier
d) We should ignore our thoughts and feelings

Answer Key

1. b) Monkey and Panda
2. c) His mind is very busy
3. c) Calm and happy
4. b) How to be so calm and happy
5. b) Mindfulness
6. c) We can notice thoughts without getting caught up in them
7. c) A blue sky with passing clouds
8. c) Focusing on his breath
9. c) More calm and focused
10. c) Mindfulness can help us feel calmer and happier

Song: Where Does it All Happen?

Lyrics

Verse 1:
Sounds in silence, thoughts on a screen
Feelings and sights, what does it all mean?
We’re on a hunt for a special treasure
In a space beyond any measure

Pre-Chorus:
Where does it all happen, can you see?
In a place that’s bigger than you and me

Chorus:
We’re on an Awareness Treasure Hunt
Looking for the space where all things come
Sounds and sights, thoughts and dreams
All happen in awareness, or so it seems

Verse 2:
Empty minds and spacious bodies
Big I and little me, quite a story
Time flows by in an endless now
We’re exploring awareness, come learn how

(Pre-Chorus)
(Chorus)

Bridge:
It’s not about finding answers, you see
But playing with questions curiously
In this game of discovery so grand
We’re learning more about where we stand

(Chorus)

Outro:
Open your eyes, what do you know?
You’re the treasure chest where all things go
In awareness vast, like the open sky
We find the magic of you and I