Puzzle Answers
Love our comic? Check out Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Saturday and Monday at 7.30–8am and every Sunday at 9–9.30am.
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles. Or listen any time you like with the podcast, which is available on our website and all major audio platforms. 3 International Museum Day and Ed’s Bit 4–5 KA! JAM 6 Proverbially Speaking 7 Tongue Twisters 8–9 Giggle in the Middle 10 Under the Sea Competition 11 Colouring Corner 12-13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space 16 Patch’s Pals Percy the Penguin
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EDITOR Cara Mott
DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Elliott
PROOFREADER Chris Horne
CONTACT US
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FOUNDERS Catherine and William Booth
INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham
TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Julian Watchorn
Published weekly by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory. 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.
AMuseum Day International
n Egyptian mummy wearing a special ring, the 25-metre-long skeleton of a blue whale and a spacesuit worn by a British astronaut called Helen Sharman – these are just a few of the spectacular sights that you might spot if you visit a museum in the UK! Museums are places where important objects from the past are kept, and there are around 2,000 of them in the UK. This means there are probably more places to learn about the history of the world than there are pages in your school’s history textbook!
If you’ve forgotten quite how brilliant museums are, then this Monday (18 May) should be a fab reminder – because it’s International Museum Day 2026! All around the world, museums will put on special events to celebrate. People will also be encouraged to think about how museums can bring people together and encourage them to learn about lots of different cultures.
To join in with International Museum Day, why not plan a trip to a museum? Plenty of museums are free to visit, and there are museums about pretty much anything you can imagine. There’s even a football museum in Manchester called the National Football Museum, if watching some of the exciting games this month makes you want to learn more about football’s past!
To discover a map of museums that are taking part in International Museum Day 2026, check out icom.museum/en/news/museums-uniting-a-divided-world
Recently, my daughter went on a school trip. She went to an open-air museum to learn about the Bronze Age – she loved seeing what life was like and she said it felt like she had stepped back in time! Museums are fantastic for learning about the people who came before us and showing us the lives they lived and the choices they made – good
The Bible helps us with this too. It’s a book full of stories of people who lived real lives and made good and bad choices too. There’s so much we can learn from the people in the Bible – from Adam and Eve’s bad decision to Jesus, who is the ultimate role model. So this week, I’ve got a challenge for you – read a Bible story and really try to imagine what life was like for the people in the story. Then think about what you can learn from those people.
Check out your Bible –Genesis 1:1-5; 41:3740; Exodus 31:1-5; 1 Samuel 16:13
Steve English
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Wiho’s the oldest person you know? My grandad is in his 80s, which means he can remember growing up during the Second World War. Do you know anyone older than him? The Bible teaches us that if you’re a Christian, then you have a friend and a helper who’s older than anyone in the world. In fact, he’s older than the world itself!
I’m talking about the Holy Spirit! If you’ve been keeping up to date with Kids Alive!, you’ll have read that name a lot over the past couple of weeks. To put it simply, the Holy Spirit is God himself – he’s God’s presence, working in the world! Throughout history, the Holy Spirit has done some spectacular things. This week’s Bible cartoon tells us about a few of them, doesn’t it?
But the truth is that the Holy Spirit is still working now. In fact, the Holy Spirit lives inside every follower of Jesus! This means that if you’re a Christian, then the Holy Spirit is with you, and always will be! It’s like having your best friend with you everywhere you go.
Read the comment to the right about how God teaches and helps us
He helps Christians to understand new things about God as they read their Bibles – he’s better than any teacher you’ve ever had. And the Holy Spirit also helps Christians to do magnificent things that might normally be a bit scary, such as tell their friends about Jesus. So who is the Holy Spirit? He’s the best friend, teacher and helper you could ever have!
by Jacob Adams
Spot the Difference
When someone has the Holy Spirit in their life, he really makes a difference! Can you spot the five differences between these two pictures below?
Proverbially Speaking top tips from proverbs
Knowing the right thing to do is often a lot easier than actually doing it. That’s why King Solomon wrote the Bible book of Proverbs. It’s filled with hundreds of tips on how to live a godly life. So if you would like to live your life Jesus’ way, see if you can put this week’s top tip into action.
Top Tip 2
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10 (New International Version)
Join...
Action!
God doesn’t want us to be scared of him, because he loves us too much. But we do need to show him respect, just as we show respect to our parents and carers. This week, make a list of the different ways that you can show God respect and tick them off once you’ve done them.
KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lots of great stuff about being a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-mag, Chatterbox which is filled with jokes, games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prizes 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 version, simply fill in the coupon below.
Name:
Address:
To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with two first-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Date of birth:
Postcode:
Boy or girl: Do you attend a church, and if so, which one? apply for membership of Kids
I, (signature)
Tongue Twisters
See if you can say this terrifically tough tongue twister 10 times!
Shaun’s
sledge slides on slick snow
? ? ? ? ?
Patch’s Problem... ?
HELLO, READERS, I’VE LOST A VERY IMPORTANT OBJECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ISSUE. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIND IT? I HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.
World Wonder
Our world is pretty awesome! All around the globe there are magnificent things to see. So jump in our imaginary jumbo jet and travel the world with us!
Easter Island
Now those are statues! These stony-faced creations are found on Easter Island, which is in the Pacific Ocean. Easter Island was originally called Rapa Nui and these statues were sculpted by the people who lived there a long time ago. There are around 280 completed and 600 unfinished statues – what a full-on job!
If you’re ever in London, pop along to the British Museum, where you can see one of the Easter Island statues – it’s called Hoa Hakananai’a, which means ‘lost, hidden or stolen friend’.
Hoho,haha,hehe! Hehe,hehe!
What do dinosaurs call a boring museum? A dino-snore! Why did the mummy visit the museum? To get wrapped up in history!
m u s e u m WO R D S E A R C H
Find the museum-related words in the grid
art gallery exhibition
artefact diorama learn reflect diversity unite living museum science planetarium aquarium history heritage culture A C E B D F G H
Where does a cow hang its paintings? In a mooooooseum!
Why do paintings always get along? Because they hang out together!
Why did the painting go to jail? It was framed!
Explore this week’s ‘Kids Alive!’ to work out which pages these images are taken from
by Neil Locker
across:
1 Young dog. 3 Platform in water that provides access to ships. 6 Fragrance. 7 Tear. 8 Layer or level of football stadium, for example. 10 Bird symbolising peace. 12 Rowing boat paddle. 13 Fear or apprehension. 15 Item of footwear. 16 Animal whose tail is called a brush.
down:
1 Place in a football team, for example. 2 Food item with a pastry crust.
3 Responsibility or obligation to do one’s _ _ _ _. 4 Freight carried by ship. 5 Back part of book, or part of intestine that’s often removed. 9 Soil or our planet. 11 Lazy or inactive machinery, for example. 14 Small pixie.
The answers to this puzzle are all anagrams of the clues. Rearrange the letters to find the new words.
by Neil Locker
Under the Sea
Did you know that more than 240,000 different animal species live beneath the ocean’s waves? The ocean is an amazing place for many magnificent animals to explore, and a company called Proud Penguin loves bringing some of the most exciting underwater adventures to life with their incredible animal figurines. This week, you could win a fantastic bundle from Proud Penguin, packed with some of the ocean’s coolest creatures, such as dolphins, orcas and sea turtles. The figurines are so detailed and lifelike that you’ll feel like you’ve dived straight into the deep blue sea! Whether you’re racing through the waves with a dolphin or exploring the ocean with a sea turtle, you can create your very own underwater adventures with some of the most spectacular sea creatures in the world as your new pals. Even better, Proud Penguin’s figurines are made in an environmentally friendly way, which helps to care for the planet and the animals that live on it!
For the opportunity to win your own Under the Sea bundle, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Under the Sea Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 12 June when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Under the Sea Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Name:
Around how many known animal species live in the sea?
240 24,000 240,000
Address:
ICE HOCKEY FACT FILE
If you’re an ice hockey super fan, you’ll already know that the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship began yesterday (15 May) in Switzerland. This competition will see 16 of the world’s best ice hockey teams (including a British team) battling to come out on top – ice hockey fans are in for a treat! However, if you’re not an ice hockey fan, then fear not! We’re here to tell you everything you need to know about this incredible sport.
SUPER SKATERS
Ice hockey players are brilliant ice skaters! That’s because ice hockey is played on an ice rink, and all the the players have to wear skates. Two teams of six players will compete against each other on a rink, and they’ll use hockey sticks to try to hit a puck into the other team’s net!
THE FIRST GAME
Ice hockey is a very old game. People have been playing it on frozen lakes and ponds in Canada for hundreds of years. The first game played indoors was all the way back in 1875. This was played at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, Canada.
BRILLIANT BATTLES
Ice hockey is a full-contact sport, so players are allowed to make physical contact with one another! This means that ice hockey is a very tiring sport to play. In fact, ice hockey is such a workout that some players can lose up to eight pounds of weight in one game!
LEGENDARY LEAGUES
In the USA and Canada, 32 teams are part of a very popular competition called the National Hockey League (NHL). These teams compete to win the Stanley Cup, which is the oldest sports trophy in North America. In the UK, teams play in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). To discover a team near you, check out eliteleague.co.uk
You can watch some of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship at iihf.tv
Living a healthy and active lifestyle, and caring for your physical,
mental and spiritual well-being
World Bee Day
At Kids Alive!, we’re buzzing with excitement for this Wednesday (20 May). That’s because it’s World Bee Day! Out of all the creatures in the animal kingdom that deserve a fab celebration, bees are definitely near the top of the list. That’s because they’re fantastic for the planet – they’re basically tiny superheroes!
Amazing Apiarist
World Bee Day takes place every year on 20 May. That’s because it was on 20 May 1734 that a famous apiarist (which means beekeeper) called Anton Janša was born. Since Anton’s lifetime, it’s become incredibly clear how important bees are for our planet – and that more people around the world should know everything that bees do for us!
On World Bee Day, many people will bee … sorry, be learning about how bees help to keep our planet healthy. They’ll also be encouraged to explore how they can protect these special insects from the threats they’re facing.
Bee-autiful Bees
We’ve been hammering on about how magnificent bees are for the planet, but you’re probably wondering what’s actually so great about them.
The truth is that bees help to make the food we eat! They don’t just create delicious honey – they also spread pollen from lots of different plants, which helps crops to grow. It’s thanks to bees that we can munch on apples, tomatoes and strawberries. In fact, around a third of the world’s food grows thanks to the work of busy bees.
Plus, bees can help to fight pollution! Bees have been used in projects to help scientists know what chemicals are in the air. Isn’t that bee-rilliant?
Bee a Hero
Bees are facing some serious threats. Over the last 10 years, many bee habitats have been destroyed, and chemicals that have been used on crops have caused serious damage to bee populations. To help bees, you could…
Build a bee hotel for bees to live in. To find out how to make one, check out woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/04/how-to-build-a-bee-hotel
Leave a small bowl outside with some water and pebbles in it, so that bees can stop for a drink if they’re thirsty.
Ask your parents or carers to buy honey from a local beekeeper, so that they can continue to protect bees.
Plant heather, daisies and red clover in your garden, or even in little pots on your windowsill. These plants are good for bees!
Create a leaflet about bees to share with friends and family. Then they’ll know how they can help to protect bees too!
To Bee or Not to Bee
There are more than 250 species of bee that call the UK their home, including solitary bees, honeybees and bumblebees. However, there’s another insect that lives in the UK and looks a lot like a bee, but isn’t quite as good for the environment – wasps! Let’s learn a few key differences.
Wasps are shiny, but bees are often fuzzy!
Wasps are a brighter yellow than bees!
Wasps have longer, thinner bodies than bees!
Wasps are more aggressive than bees!
Now that you’ve learnt how to distinguish bee-tween a wasp and a bee, can you decide which of the two insects to the right is a wasp, and which one is a bee?
Hive Helper
This beekeeper has lost all the bees in his hive! Draw a line from every bee on these two pages to the beekeeper’s hive, so that these bees can create some scrumptious honey.
Bee a hero this World Bee Day!
Brilliant Brownies!
When some of the 6th Hove Brownies decided they wanted to complete their Charities Badge, they had to choose a charity. This involved researching what the charity does, creating a poster to tell others about it and raising some money for it.
Four of the 6th Hove Brownies chose The Salvation Army (which also publishes Kids Alive!). So Bella and Martha ran a sweet stall and Saffron and Annabelle ran a tombola. Other girls in the Brownies group also baked and sold cakes and collected prizes for a raffle. Parents, carers and friends were invited to come for an evening and were very generous. Money from the stalls was shared between the charities the girls had chosen with £101.55 going to The Salvation Army!
Kids Alive! is teaming up with Salvationist for our first ever joint writing competition! We want to hear your versions of Bible stories, retold however you want to retell them! That might be a favourite parable or a Bible story you think more people should know about – we only ask that you keep it faithful to the Bible and that you avoid writing about Christmas or Easter. Entries will be printed in the 27 June issues of Kids Alive! and Salvationist to mark National Writing Day on 24 June. It’s open to all ages –just email kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk or salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk by 8 June. We can’t wait to read what you write!
What fantastic fundraisers! Well done, 6th Hove Brownies – that’s some really great work you’ve done!
Storytelling Competition! Cool Colourings
Esme, aged 6, has done a beautiful job creating Languagesthis Colouring.
H a p p y
B i r t h d a y
t o y o u !
To see your name and birthday printed in a future issue of KA! email your full name and date of birth to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
19 May
Ella Parry – age 9
22 May
Amelia-Rose Drake – age 11
G e t I n T o 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?
Grace
Age? 10.
Favourite colour? Red.
Favourite food? Macaroni cheese.
Favourite sport? Football.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive! Jokes and colouring.
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
Favourite Bible story and why? Esther, because she saves the Jews – she was very brave. Favourite TV programme? Superbook
What do you want to be when you’re older? A dog trainer for the police.
Pets? No pets, but I would like a husky dog called Lola. Hobbies? Drawing, painting and reading.
Tell us a joke. Why did the cow cross the road? To get to the udder side!
Emily, aged 6, has also created a fab Languages Colouring. Our favourite bit is the girl with rainbow hair and dress!
What special skill or talent do you have? Drawing, animals and hosting tea parties.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I collect clip-on earrings and I’m learning to carve stone.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I go to Girls’ Brigade and I’m good at guiding and playing games with people.
A WEEK LATER…
I’M SHORT OF CASH, PATCH. IT’S TIME I GOT A JOB. YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, PATCH, IT REALLY IS A RUBBISH JOB. YOU SHOULD JUST BE GRATEFUL YOU CAN GET SOME WORK TO DO.
HI, PERCY! DID YOU GET YOURSELF SOME WORK?
YES, PATCH, BUT IT’S A RUBBISH JOB!
