Kids Alive! 9 December 2023

Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7389

9 DeCEMBER 2023

The world's longest-running publication for children!

salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive

50P/60c

PickWIN! Out Patch

this week...

Breaking from Tradition

this week...

Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

The History of Panto BBC pictures

Read all about this year's CBeebies panto on page 3

Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 9 December.indd 1

01/12/2023 10:17

What’s Inside?

Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers

3

It’s Panto Day and Ed’s Bit

4–5

KA! JAM

6

Advent Prayers

7

Kiddo!

8–9

Giggle in the Middle

10

Guinness World Records Competition

DOWN: 1 Play. 2 High. 3 Shed. 4 Advent.

6 Wreath. 9 Gate. 10 Turn. 11 Fuel.

CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Sea. 5 Sleigh. 6 Why. 7 Hedge.

8 Eight. 11 Fat. 12 Turkey. 13 Hoe. AWESOME ARROWS: Player 3.

GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE WORDFIT 1 Echo. 2 Cola. 3 Solo. 4 Clue. 5 Soya.

New word: Holly.

CHRISTMAS BIBLE BRAINTEASERS 1C. 2B. 3A. PICK OUT PATCH: Page 11.

Colouring Corner

12–13

KA! World

14–15

Your Space

16

Patch’s Pals: Pirate Pete and his Jolly Crew

Subscribe* to

9 DeCEMBER 2023

The world's longest-running publication for children!

salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive

50P/60c

PickWIN! Out Patch

this week...

Breaking from Tradition

this week...

Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

The History of Panto BBC pictures

KA! JAM WORDFIT 1 Joseph. 2 Herod. 3 Zechariah. 4 Wise man.

New word: John.

Love our comic? Check out Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Sunday at 9–9.30am

11

Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7389

Read all about this year's CBeebies panto on page 3

Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive

for £4.33 a month

Hey there, readers! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of Kids Alive!

If you would like to get your own copy delivered to your home every week, why not add a Kids Alive! to your Christmas list and ask your parents or guardians to take out a subscription* for you? Every week, Kids Alive! includes a cartoon Bible story, a competition, puzzles, jokes, comic strips and topical activities and articles for you to enjoy.

Ask your parents or carers to go to sps-shop.com/kids-alive, call 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email subscriptions@satcol.org to set up a subscription.

Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your Sunday started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles

e Availabl online!

*A subscription costs just £4.33 a month (or a one-off payment of £52). This subscription offer applies in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with 51 copies delivered over 12 months. Please note that different prices apply to Europe and international orders.

EDITOR Justin Reeves DEPUTY EDITOR Cara Mott GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku PROOFREADER Chris Horne CONTACT US Phone Office – 020 7367 4910 Territorial Headquarters Switchboard – 0845 634 0101 Email kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ FOUNDERS William and Catherine Booth GENERAL Lyndon Buckingham TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Commissioner Anthony Cotterill EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Julian Watchorn Published weekly by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory.

salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity.

The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. ISSN 1363-5662.

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01/12/2023 11:24

E

BBC pictures

veryone loves a trip to the theatre to see a pantomime … ‘Oh, no they don’t!’ … Oh, yes they d… erm, actually, pantomimes probably aren’t everyone’s custard pie. But if you are a fan of this fun festive tradition, you’ll be pleased to know that 15 December is Panto Day. This year’s theme is Year of the Animal – so it’s going to be a busy season for the three bears of Goldilocks fame, Dick Whittington’s cat and a host of pantomime horses and cows.

At Kids Alive! we think the best way to enjoy a pantomime is to head to a theatre to enjoy a live performance. If that’s not possible – some pantos sell out very quickly – you’ll be excited to learn that CBeebies has it covered. Yes, as sure as Santa’s grotto will magically appear in your local shopping centre or garden centre, the CBeebies crew have taken to the stage to film a panto for you to catch at the cinema.

This year’s offering is an adaptation of Robin Hood.

Audiences will find Robin and his merry band protecting Sherwood Forest and its animal inhabitants from the Sheriff of Nottingham (BOOOOOO!), who has a very naughty plan to destroy the wood’s riches for her own benefit. Will she succeed in her treacherous plans?

There’s only one way to find out – get along to the cinema and enjoy a fun time with the CBeebies crew.

For more info on Panto Day, check out celebratepanto.co.uk To find out where your nearest panto is being performed, go to pantoperformances.info To book cinema tickets for this year’s CBeebies panto, visit cbeebiespanto.com Can’t make it to the cinema? Watch ‘Robin Hood’ on BBC iPlayer.

I love the pantomime, although I sometimes worry I enjoy it too much and embarrass my family by joining in too enthusiastically.

I also enjoy nativity plays. Actually, I’ve watched some nativity plays thinking, ‘What would this be like as a pantomime?’ The audience could cheer for the angel Gabriel, boo at King Herod, and sing along with the chorus of angels. Mary and Joseph could travel on a pantomime donkey. And the shepherds and wise men could do a comedy chase as they race to meet baby Jesus. I’d better stop before I upset someone.

The thing is, Christmas can become a pantomime. We can be so busy making it fun that we slip, slide and crash through the season forgetting what we’re celebrating. Make sure that in the fun and busyness of the festive season you remember to celebrate Jesus’ birth and think about what that means to you.

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Read the comment below about somebody who tried something new

Traditions or Surprises? asks Austen Hardwick

D

o you love having the same traditions each year or is your house a place of surprises? Some people find it helpful to know what to expect so that life feels familiar and calm, but others love the challenge of change.

In this week’s cartoon Bible story, God has some surprises in store for two women. The angel Gabriel visits a young girl called Mary to tell her that she is going to become the mother of God’s son Jesus. Mary hurries off to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah (Mary’s cousin and her husband), to share her joy with them, only to find out that they were also going to have a baby!

Back then, it was traditional to name a male child after their father, but Elizabeth and Zechariah’s baby

Wordfit

would be named John. Like Mary and Joseph, who would name their son Jesus, they believed this was something God had asked them to do. Can you imagine their relatives’ reactions when they told them they’d call their son by a name the family had never used before?

Trusting God can mean doing things differently.

He might prompt you to give a gift to somebody who doesn’t expect it or as a way of saying ‘sorry’. It takes courage to live like this, to break from the patterns you see around you, but wherever we look in the story leading up to Christmas, people are taking risks and trusting God. Perhaps you could surprise somebody this year or God might even surprise you!

Use the clues below to work out four characters from the Nativity and write them in the correct spaces in the grid. The shaded squares will reveal a surprise name from this week’s Bible story.

1 This man helped Mary all the way to Bethlehem 2 This King was not happy to hear that Jesus was born 2 3 This man was married to Mary’s cousin Elizabeth 3 4 One of three to visit Jesus

1

4

Answers on Page 2

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01/12/2023 11:33

Advent – Getting Ready for Christmas Breaking from Tradition

Check out your Bible – Luke 1:26–38, 57–64 Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore It! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it Steve English

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Advent Prayers ‘God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen’ is a Christmas carol that celebrates the comfort and joy that Jesus’ birth brought to the world. Each verse reminds us of God’s promise that he’s always with us. Through Jesus, God poured out his love and set the world right again. As we look forward to Christmas this Advent, let’s use this carol as a prayer and thank God for the comfort and joy he offers.

Dear God,

Thank you for the joy and hope that we have as Jesus’ friends.

Thank you, Jesus, that you’re the best friend we could ever have.

Thank you that even when life and situations are hard, you’re with us – comforting, helping and reminding us that we’re not alone.

As we think of those going through hard times, help us to share your comfort and love with them too.

We think of those facing war, money worries and other difficult situations – please give them all that they need. Protect them and bless them with your perfect peace.

Amen

KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through th e Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sh eet is filled with lots of great stuff about be ing a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-m ag, Chatterbox, which is filled with jokes , games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prize s to be won!

To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationist.org.uk/ kajam.

Or if you would like to receive the postal vers ion, simply fill in the coup on below.

To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with KA! JAM, 1 Champion two first-class stamps Park, London SE5 8FJ. – to: Applicants must be be tween 7 and 17 years old Name: to join.

Date of birth: Address:

Boy or girl: I, (signature)

6 KA - p6 - 9 December.indd 1

Postcode: Do you attend a church,

and if so, which one?

apply for membership of Kids Alive! Jesus And Me . I understand that joining KA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvat ion Army and that it is not free subscription to Kid a s Alive!

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS.

01/12/2023 10:52

irthday Happy Bir to You!

Pick Out Patch

ure issue birthday printed in a fut d an me na ur yo e se To of birth me, address and date of KA! email your full na y.org.uk. Remember to type arm to kidsalive@salvation ct box. u!’ in the email’s subje Yo to ay thd Bir py ‘Hap

r 1 2 Decembe ed – age 10 Farah Mansh

14 December

Freddie Melmoth – age 12

i’m playing buttons in my local panto this year. Do i look the part? See if you can spot this version of me on ANOTHER PAGE IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE.

15 December 12 Olivia Haynes – age

?

? ? CHRISTMAS ? ? ?

BIBLE BRAINTEASERS

?

?

?

Would you consider yourself to be a Bible buff? Do you know how many fish and loaves Jesus used to feed 5,000 people? Which teenager defeated a giant and who was swallowed by a huge fish? From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of incredible stories and interesting information. Test your Bible knowledge by having a go at the questions below.

?

1 Why did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem?

A To visit family B For a holiday C For the census

?

CLUE: Luke 2:1–5

2 Who did the angel

announce the birth of Jesus to?

A Children B Shepherds C Religious leaders

CLUE: Luke 2:8–12

?

?

saw baby 3 Who Jesus in the Temple and praised God? A Anna and Simeon B Rachel and James C Naomi and David

?

CLUE: Luke 2:25–38

ANSWERS ON PAGE 2

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a, ha h ! a ha h

o, Ho h , a ha h ! he he e, He h ! he he Why was Cinderella such a bad footballer?

She had a pumpkin for a coach!

What’s the scariest pantomime?

Ghoul-dilocks and the Three Bears!

e, He h ! h he e

Wo rd fit C

1

2

O

3

Where did Robin’s Merry Men go to buy their sweets?

The Friar’s Tuck-shop!

4

5

Why couldn’t Robin Hood hit the target?

Because his arrows were all in a quiver!

o, Ho h , a ha h ! he he

S

Fit the five given words reveal into the grid correctly to r green a new word in the darke ve s column. Some letter ha u. been inserted to help yo Clue: plant often used as . a Christmas decoration

A

C

by Neil Locker

CLUE COLA ECHO SOLO SOYA

Awesome Arrows Three friends are playing a game of archery. Their scores are shown below. Work out who has the highest score.

Player 2

2 4 6 8 10

2 4 6 8 10 2 4 6 8 10

Player 1 8

Player 3

Answ on P

ers

age

2

Crossword Crossword Clues across:

3 Body of water. 5 Santa’s vehicle.

6 For what reason? 7 Garden boundary of bushes. 8 ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas gift’: _ _ _ _ _ maids a-milking.

11 Christmas is coming, the goose is getting _ _ _. 12 Popular Christmas roast. 13 Garden tool.

Clues

down: 1 School Nativity, for example.

2 Christmas song: ‘Ding Dong! Merrily on _ _ _ _’. 3 Garden storage building.

4 Period before Christmas. 6 Christmas garland sometimes placed on an outside door. 9 Garden entrance.

10 Rotate. 11 A Yule log or coal perhaps.

by Neil Locker

What’s a ghost’s favourite Christmas entertainment?

A phantom-mime!

What kind of pet did Aladdin have?

A flying car-pet!

Who looked after Finderella?

Her fairy codmother!

Why is a pantomime often just called a panto?

Because a mime is silent!

Pantomime WORDSEARCH Find the pantomime-related words listed below in the grid

comedy sing-alongs s W s l u f r u o l o c i h j t q s b p t s h z family fun dancing n l o n a t e g r e a s g e b u y r n m e k n e colourful costumes a c r d t i c s a q i l l o f t c i y a s d m a es da mes o m g n a j n o s m a t cheesy jok songs shouting out ng de aj hk ob ge hn gp or yt sl ry fairy tales theatre si ys ee mc us qt ds ot cl uz wt ai star cast animals f h k n u f y l i m a f 9

OM

PETITIO

N

C

records with the et ready to dive into an ocean of amazing 4. The theme is brand-new Guinness World Records 202 hasis on the natural the Blue Planet and there’s a special emp bizarre and deadly sea world. Take the plunge and encounter l reefs and explore creatures, swim through the largest cora latest snapshot of the seabed for shipwrecks. Discover the facts about the the year as well as plenty of jaw-dropping there’s all the latest sea, the oceans and much more. Plus TV and sport! record-breaking successes in music, ld Records 2024, we’re To celebrate the release of Guinness Wor e mega merchandise. giving away copies of the book plus som , T-shirts, backpacks, The merchandise range includes hats water bottles and hoodies.

Guinness World Records For your opportunity to win a bundle of email your full name, age, goodies, answer the question below and onarmy.org.uk. Remember address and answer to kidsalive@salvati petition’ in the subject box. to put ‘Guinness World Records Com 26 January when the Your entry needs to reach us by Friday r by filling in the details winners will be chosen. You can also ente Guinness World Records on the coupon below and posting it to: , London SE5 8FJ. Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park

G

‘Guinness World Records 2024’ is out now!

WIN!

What is the theme of ‘Guinness World Records 2024’?

Red Planet

Blue Planet

Green Planet

Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:

10 KA - p10 - 9 December.indd 1

Age:

_

Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 01/12/2023 11:00

PUKKA PANTO COLOURING This leading … erm … well … leading cat is ready to play their part as Robin Hood in their purr-fect pantomime. They just need a splash of colour to make sure they’re as bright and colourful as their band of merry men. What are you waiting for? Get colouring! If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colourings to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Pukka Panto Colouring’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively you can post your colourings to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fill in the details below so we know who you are.

We send a gift to everyone whose colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!

Name:

Age:

Address: Postcode: Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 9 December.indd 1

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lifestyle and caring ve ti ac an d an y th al he Living a tual well-being. iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph

e It’s PantOoh, YTes im It Is!) (Oh, No It Isn’t!

As it’s National Panto Day soon (15 December) there’s no better time to learn about the history of pantomime.

Where did the tradition of pantomimes come from?

BBC picture

Here’s Robin Hood and Marion who will be on your screens as part of the 2023 CBeebies Panto

H o, h o, h o, h o !

Back Hto a, h a,the Beginning ,

h a, h a The history ofhpantomimes goes back to 16th-century Italian a, h a !

entertainment. Commedia dell’Arte used dance, music and acrobatics and included a cast of mischievous characters.

Some of the more well-known characters were Harlequin, Pantaloon and Punch. By the 18th century these characters had made their way to the London stage and formed part of the early pantomime productions.

Thanks, Victorians!

A lot of the traditional parts of pantomime that are loved today come from Victorian times.

Did you know that before 1843 there was H a e h e, restriction on using spoken word in theatre e h e! performances? When that restriction was h lifted funny puns and jokes took centre stage in pantomimes, as well as plenty of audience participation!

H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!

This is also the time when favourite fairy-tale characters, animal costumes, principal boys and pantomime dames were all added to the mix. The pantomimes at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane were particularly famous!

BBC picture

Meet Ann the singing Squirrel who will be a part of the 2023 CBeebies Panto

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Principals and Dames In case you don’t know, principal boys are the young male, main characters of the play who were often played by a young actress in boys’ clothes.

A pantomime dame is a male actor that’s dressed up to look like and play a female character. The idea goes back to when women weren’t allowed to perform on the stage, so men had to play the female characters. However, even when women began acting in plays the pantomime dame characters were so popular that they stuck around.

A pantomime dame often has bright and colourful clothing, a bold wig and plenty of jokes!

Christmastime Tradition

BBC picture

How bee-autiful is the 2023 CBeebies panto dame?

It’s possible the reason pantomimes traditionally happen at Christmastime could be because of the old Christmas mummers plays. These were groups of people who travelled around performing plays during winter festivals.

Top Tales Most pantomimes today are based on popular fairy-tale stories. Dick Whittington is based on the life of a real mayor of London who died in 1423.

However, there is no evidence he actually owned a cat!

Others come from European, Middle Eastern and Asian folk tales or legends. These include Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots and Aladdin.

Come and join Will Scarlet and the rest of the cast in the 2023 CBeebies Panto this Christmas

BBC picture

Family Fun There are still pantomimes taking place all over the UK every year. Modern day traditions include booing and hissing at the villain character (such as a wicked witch), a singalong, sweets thrown into the audience and plenty of shouting phrases, such as ‘He’s behind you!’, ‘Oh, no he isn’t!’ and ‘Oh, yes he is!’ There are also often celebrity stars on the stage and plenty of mess – like custard pies being thrown in someone’s face!

Sound good? See if there’s a pantomime happening near you and get along to enjoy some family fun!

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01/12/2023 11:42

If you’d like to star in our reader profile section we’d lov e to hear from you! Get a grownup to send us an email using the address in the pink box below.

Then we’ll send you the forms to complete.

D a rc ie

14

Age? 8.

Favourite colour? Purple.

Favourite food? Pizza.

Favourite sport? Hockey.

Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ?

Jokes and puzzles.

Favourite Bible story and why?

Jesus calming the storm, because it showed his power.

Favourite TV programme?

Horrible Histories .

What do you want to be when you’re older? Actress.

Pets? No. Hobbies? Dancing and singing.

Tell us a joke. Knock, knock.

Who’s there? Wa! Wa who? Why are you so excited?!

What special skill or talent do you have? Singing.

Tell us something interesting about yourself. I’ve got 17 cousins.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I’m a great artist.

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New Junior Soldiers

A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army

Marvellous, Brighouse; Grace, Thomas, Brighton Congress Hall.

G et I n To u c h !

The Kids Alive! team loves to hear from its readers. And guess what – other readers love reading your news! So why not get in touch?

You can email or post your own colourings, drawings and letters.

Or you could ask your Sunday school, church or corps leaders to email us or write to us with any news about the fun stuff you’ve been doing at your church or corps.

Email: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post: Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ

01/12/2023 10:34

Cool Colourings Check out this cool Cricketer Colouring sent to us

by Matilda, age 8. She’s done a great job!

This Cycling Colouring was completed by David. We love the colours and the fantastic faces he’s added!

Have you heard of Right Tracks? They’re upbeat, pop-style songs about being a Christian and the values of The Salvation Army. Now Right Tracks has some new festive tunes to check out too.

‘Share a Little Bit (of Love at Christmas)’ is a cracker that encourages listeners to love one another during the busy Christmas season. While ‘The Greatest Day in History’ takes listeners on a journey through the Nativity story, reminding us of the importance of Jesus’ birth.

You can listen to Right Tracks by visiting salvationarmy.org.uk/right-tracks or searching for them on streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

Olivia, age 7, sent this out-of-this-world World Space Week Colouring.

The colours she’s chosen look awesome together – it’s so bright and bold.

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01/12/2023 10:34

…SO THIS YEAR I THOUGHT I’D GET HIM A SURPRISE PRESENT…

LAST CHRISTMAS, CAP’N PETE WAS DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE HE KNEW WHAT EVERYONE WAS GOING TO GIVE HIM…

…AND WRAP IT UP SO WELL THAT HE WON’T GUESS WHAT IT IS UNTIL HE’S UNWRAPPED IT.

THAT’S VERY THOUGHTFUL OF YOU, PIRATE DICK.

HERE YOU GO, PATCH. CAP’N PETE WILL NEVER GUESS WHAT IT IS!

SHOW ME THE PREZZIE.

SURE HE WON’T, pirate DICK!?

THE SALVATION ARMY – A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND REGISTERED CHARITY

LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO

Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2023.

Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.

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Please Recycle Me! 01/12/2023 11:39