Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7536
24 October 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
The Great Outdoors
this week...
Moses
mou Courtesy of Para nt Pictures ©2026 PARAMOUNT PICTURES
s In Cinema
Now
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 24 October indd.indd 1
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What’s Inside?
Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers
3
Tad and the Magic Lamp and Ed’s Bit
WORD LADDER: 1 Tall. 2 Tale. 3 Tame. BIG MYSTERY: Safari hat.
KA! JAM
6
Bible Beasts and Where to Read About Them
7
Patch’s Problem
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 9.
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KA! JAM GOD’S GUIDING GIFTS 1 The Bible. 2 The Holy Spirit. 3 Other Christians. 4 Prayer. 5 Dreams. 6 Visions.
Disney Stitch Many Moods Mini Stitch Competition
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Christmas Card Competition
12–13
KA! World
14–15
Your Space
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Patch’s Pals Robbie’s Robot
DOWN: 1 Mist. 2 Salt. 3 Idea. 4 Kennel. 6 Stairs. 9 Tyre. 10 Rice. 11 Open. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Ink. 5 Lizard. 6 Set. 7 Train. 8 Actor. 11 Owl. 12 Rocket. 13 See. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE
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.
e Availabl online!
Subscribe* to
24 October 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
and caring and an active lifestyle Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. for your physical,
The Great Outdoors
this week...
Moses
mount Pictures ©2026 PARAMOUNT PICTURES Courtesy of Para
4–5
Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7536
In Cinemas
Now
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
for £4.33 a month
Hey there, readers! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of Kids Alive! If you would like to get your own copy of Kids Alive! delivered to your home every week, why not ask your parents or carers 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. *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 Cara Mott DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Philippa Elliott and Brandon Caiza 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 Catherine and William Booth INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Andrew Stone 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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A
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures ©2026 PARAMOUNT PICTURES
ow
sN In Cinema
ncient temples, sandy pyramids and wild jungles – these are just a few of the incredible places an archaeologist might explore in search of artefacts from long ago. An archaealogist who’s called Tad has searched for the lost city of Paititi, learned about the existence of a king who could turn people into gold and discovered a rare sarcophagus! He’s even made some ridiculously strange friends, including Mummy – a mummy from an ancient Incan city! Now, Tad’s about to go on his most exciting journey yet – and it begins with a holiday in London. Tad’s brought along his gang of pals for the trip, but he hasn’t got anywhere near enough time to hang out with them. That’s because he’s too busy looking after his daughter, Oli. Mummy doesn’t take it very well when Tad doesn’t make him the centre of attention. So when Tad’s wife, Sara, discovers a magic lamp in Buckingham Palace, Mummy gets his cloth-wrapped hands on it. Then he makes a terrible wish – to travel back in time to when he was younger and loved by everyone! Stranded in Peru in 1502, Tad, Sara and the gang will have to stop Mummy from changing history. Their adventure will take them across the Atlantic Ocean and deep into the Middle East, all the way to a cave where a legendary man called Ali Baba awaits them!
You can watch ‘Tad and the Magic Lamp’ in cinemas now
Imagine what it would feel like to go back in time like Tad does in Tad and the Magic Lamp. If you could time travel, where would you choose to go to? Maybe to see the Vikings, or perhaps to find out what life was like in Ancient Rome. Unfortunately, time travel isn’t an option for you or me, but there are other ways we can explore what life was like many years ago. We can watch films or TV programmes and we can read books. These are the best ways for us to explore ancient times. One book that’s absolutely full of the most amazing stories of life from many, many years ago is the Bible. Within this book there are so many incredible adventures to discover. So become an explorer like Tad and dive into the amazing stories in the Bible. What new discovery will you find?
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H
Keep Trusting God
ave you watched The Prince of Egypt? It’s an iamazing film about Moses and the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt. One of the most incredible moments is when God parts the Red Sea – just like in this week’s Bible story. After leaving Egypt, the Israelites follow God through the wilderness. During the day, God guides them with a pillar of cloud, and at night, with a pillar of fire. However, before the Israelites can reach safety, disaster strikes! The Egyptian chariots are racing towards them from behind, while in front of them is the enormous sea. They are trapped! The Bible tells us that in that moment, unable to see a way out, the people panic. But Moses stays calm and encourages them to trust God. God tells Moses to stretch out his staff and an amazing miracle happens – the sea divides, creating a dry path through the water. The Israelites walk safely to the other side, and the Egyptians can’t follow them. God has done something that seemed impossible! Have you ever been in a situation that felt impossible? Maybe you had a tough choice to make or you were worried about something you couldn’t control. In moments like these when we’re scared and confused, we just want God to show us exactly what to do. However, following God doesn’t mean we need to have everything figured out. It simply means that like Moses, we need to believe that God has a plan. We may not see the whole picture, but we can trust that God is with us and he will guide us through whatever challenges may come our way.
by Ibukun Baku
Read the comment on the left about how God guides us
God’s Guiding Gifts
In the Bible story, God guides the people with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. But today, God has given us different gifts to help guide us. Unscramble the letters below to work out what they are.
ETH LIBEB
HET LYHO PTIRSI
1. T _ _ B _ _ _ _
2. T _ _ H _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _
THORE SCRHITAISN
RYPAER
3. O _ _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. P _ _ _ _ _
Answers on Page 2
MSAEDR
IVOSNIS
5. D _ _ _ _ _
6. V _ _ _ _ _ _
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God’s Special Family Moses
Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore it! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it
16/10/2026 11:18
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Check out your Bible – selected verses from Exodus 13 and 14
5
Steve English
Bible Beaststo
Do you love animals? Don’t you agree that they are a wonderful part of God’s creation? Did you know there are plenty of creatures that play special roles in the Bible? Let’s read a story from the Bible that’s being told by one of the beasts that was actually there!
Lazy Lions
and Where Read About Them
Daniel 6
STEVE ENGLISH
. .. n i Jo
‘We heard a rumour that the king had made a new decree that anyone found praying to God would be thrown down to us in the pit. This was great news – lots of yummy food. But for the first few days there was no one. Then one afternoon, the lid to the den was opened and a man was thrown in. But before we could take a step towards him another man appeared. He was covered in a bright light and as soon as he arrived, none of us felt hungry anymore. In fact, all we wanted to do was relax, so we did! We chilled all night long and the man (I think his name was Daniel) was actually great company!’
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.
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.
Name:
Date of birth:
Address: Postcode: Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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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 Salvation Army and that it is not a free subscription to Kids Alive!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS. 16/10/2026 10:41
?
To n g u e Tw is t e r s
Patch’s ? Problem... ?
See if you can say this terrifically tough tongue twister 10 times!
Lucky Luke likes lakes
? ?
?
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.
?
r e d n o W d l r o W
the globe there are magnificent things Our world is pretty awesome! All around jet and travel the world with us! to see. So jump in our imaginary jumbo
Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia is an incredibly big and impressive building in Istanbul, Turkey. Look at it, it’s huge! When Hagia Sophia was originally built, the city was called Constantinople, rather than Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was built by order of Roman Emperor Justinian. It was built as an Orthodox church to replace two churches that had been there previously. Over the years, Hagia Sophia has been damaged by an earthquake, looted by crusaders and remodelled to be a Muslim mosque. Its interesting history means that it’s an important building to lots of different people. For many years the building was a museum, but in 2020 it became a mosque again.
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, Ho ho , ha ha ! he he
, He he ! he he
What did one pyramid say to the other? ‘How’s your mummy doing?’
Which pharaoh played the trumpet? Tooting-khamun! H o h o, ho ho! Ha h a, h a h a, ha ha!
Why did the explorer bring a map to bed with them? So they could dream of new discoveries! H o h o,
Crossword Clues
H e h e, h e h e!the mummy Why did
go for a relaxing spa and massage? Because they were all wound up! What do history teachers talk about at parties? The good old days!
by Neil Locker
Why did the knight run aroun H o h o,d shouting ho ho! for a can opener? He had a bumblebee in his suit of armour!
across:
Crossword Clues
3 Writing fluid. 5 Reptile such as an iguana. 6 Series Ha h a, h a h a, of games in a tennis match. 7 Passenger vehicle onh aah a! track. 8 Person who plays a role on stage or screen. 11 Nocturnal bird. 12 Spaceship, or a firework. 13 Perceive with your eyes.
down: 1 Fog. 2 Seasoning for food. 3 Notion. 4 Dog house. 6 Indoor steps, flight of _ _ _ _ _ _. 9 Rubber surround on a wheel. 10 Staple food eaten with curry, for example. 11 Not closed.
Answer
H e h e, h e h e!
on Page
8
s
2
Why is history class so hard? Because the teacher asks about things that H o h o, before you happened h a h a, h e! h were eborn!
What did the pharaoh say when he saw the pyramid? ‘Mummy’s home!’
h a h a, h e h e!
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
H e h e, he he!
tem tery i s y m glass ify the Ident magnifying in the
H E M AG I C TH TAD AND T L A M p WO R D S E A R C H t x p e r u y z o l i h m a w p s l y mm u m k i b d a b a b i l a c b d f r j e f w h g r i u d a l m o i k i j t n c l n o p s n c q r e o k e s r h t l e l f f z i e u e o a v o s f a l n a s wmm n x y e c e g s z p a d o b c j t b h t d e o f g n h i s j a k l n m o e c a l a p m
Find the ‘Tad and the Magic Lamp’-related words in the grid
tad jones mummy oli sara belzoni romona jeff magic lamp wishes buckingham palace london artefacts peru ali baba middle east
Using the clues provided, fill in each step of the ladder with a new word, changing one letter at a time
BALL 1
1
High
2
Story
3
Friendly or calm animals
2
3
GAME by Neil Locker
9
Many moods MINI stitch
COMPETITION
H
ow much do you know about Experiment 626, also known as Stitch? You might know that he’s got fierce claws, sharp teeth and fur as blue as the sky. Plus, you might remember he’s best friends with a girl called Lilo. If you know all those facts, then you’ll definitely know he’s the star of a Disney film called Lilo and Stitch! However, we reckon that you might not know that you can have your very own mini Stitch – who’s so small he can fit in your hand! The Disney Stitch Many Moods Mini Stitch interactive toy packs big personality into a palm-sized companion. This expressive Disney’s Stitch toy reacts to touch and motion with hilarious giggles, growls, eye blinks and silly phrases. Sized for handheld fun, this 4.5-inch Stitch is ready to join you on road trips, play dates and any adventure you can come up with at home! For the opportunity to win your own Disney Stitch Many Moods Mini Stitch, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Disney Stitch Many Moods Mini Stitch Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 20 November when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Disney Stitch Many Moods Mini Stitch Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
What name is Stitch also known by? Object AJA
Case !?£
Experiment 626
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:: Age
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 16/10/2026 11:19
CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION
CALLING ALL YOUNG ARTISTS! THE KIDS ALIVE! CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION IS BACK!
T
up his year’s competition has a brand-new prize – for grabs – £150-worth of STABILO goodies ing perfect for all your arty creations! The winn design will also feature on the cover of the 12 December issue of Kids Alive! and be added to The Salvation Army’s collection on the e-card website Don’t Send Me a Card. Plus, four runners-up will each win a year’s subscription to Kids Alive! Schools are welcome to submit students’ designs, but each entry must include the child’s name, age and a parent or school contact (name and email). You can send designs all together, as long as each design has the required details on the back.
! N I W
To enter this competition, send your Christm as card design, full name, age, address and pare nt’s or carer’s email address to: Christmas Card Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, Lon don SE5 8FJ. Please don’t fold your design and make sure you send it in an A4 envelope. You can also enter by emailing your design to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk, but please make sure it’s a good quality scan or pho to. The competition closes on Friday 27 Novemb er so grab your supplies and let your creativity shine! For more information on this competition, che ck out tsa.link/ka-christmas-card
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lifestyle, and caring ve ti ac d an y th al he a Living tual well-being iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
The Great Outdoors Magnificent mountains, lovely lakes, wonderful woodlands and stunning seaside destinations – there are plenty of beautiful places in the UK for you to discover! So this autumn, why not slip on a pair of comfy trainers and a warm coat and then go exploring? Whether you’re taking part in a scavenger hunt with your friends or going on a coastal walk with your family, we reckon it will be hard to beat a day spent outside, enjoying the great outdoors!
Top Tips Imagine that you’ve just finished your scavenger hunt with your mates and your walk with your family. What outdoor activities might you decide to get up to next?
If trying to come up with any other ideas has left you scratching your head, don’t worry – the National Trust have put together a list of 50 awesome outdoor activities that you can get up to! Here are just a few of our favourite suggestions from that fab list…
Build a Den A den is a secret hideout – a place where you can relax, read a book or play with your pals! You can build a den in the woods by finding a sturdy tree with a low branch or lots of nooks, and then wedging tons of sticks against it. Once your den has been covered with twigs, leaves and mud, you’ll have your own hideout to hang out in!
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Hunt for Mushrooms
Draw here
If you’ve only ever seen mushrooms in a supermarket, then we have a big surprise for you – there are far more kinds of mushrooms than you can imagine, and lots of them look super funky! Purple jellydisc, jazzy yellow lemon disco and brain mushrooms – these are just a few of the fun fungi you might be able to find on an outdoor adventure in the woods. Why not take a notebook with you on an outdoor adventure, and then sketch any mushrooms you see? You could also draw them in the box on the right.
Create a Crown Kings and queens will often wear crowns – but you can make a stunning crown for yourself too! When you’re next out and about, gather up any cool leaves, flowers, feathers or sticks that you can find. Then ask your parents to cut a piece of cardboard so that it wraps around your head perfectly – you could use an old cereal box for this. You can now begin to glue all your awesome nature items to the cardboard in any order that you like. Once you’ve finished sticking items down, you can glue both ends of the cardboard together. You now have your own nature crown!
Go on a Night Walk Have you noticed that it gets darker earlier in the day this time of year? Autumn is the perfect season for a thrilling night walk, and you might not even have to stay up too late. With the help of your parent or carer, explore a natural area near you at night! On your adventure, you might discover hedgehogs, deer, redwings, fieldfares and blackbirds – which are all animals that are active at night. Just make sure you wrap up warm, as you might get a bit chilly!
Many More Adventures If you’re looking for even more ideas for outdoor adventures you can get up to this autumn, then we’ve got great news for you – there are 46 other outdoor activities to try out from the National Trust’s list! If you’d like to learn about how to make a mud creation, go paddling in a river or set up a snail race, then head to nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/50-things.
What are you waiting for? Explore the great outdoors this autumn! KA - p12-13 - 24 October.indd 2
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Arlo’s Spartan Challenge Meet Arlo – a fab fundraiser for The Salvation Army (which publishes Kids Alive!). Arlo took on the Tough Mudder Spartan 1.5km race, which involves climbing, running, crawling and battling your way through mud and over obstacles. That sounds like a big challenge, doesn’t it? Well it’s even more impressive when you know that Arlo also raised money to help support people experiencing homelessness. Arlo set out to raise £150, but he absolutely smashed his target by raising more than £200 (including Gift Aid) for The Salvation Army’s homelessness services. Huge congratulations, Arlo! We’re so proud of your incredible efforts and we know that money is going to make such a difference. I’m so impressed with Arlo’s fundraising challenge! Would you like to be a fab fundraiser like Arlo? Check out salvationarmy.org.uk/fundraise-us to find out how you can get involved!
Yandiswa, aged 11, drew this incredible poster to remind us how important it is to Care for Creation. We love how they’ve split it into two different sections.
Cool Colourings This ridiculously cool Racing Car Colouring is from Alfie, aged 9. We love the texture of using pens to colour it in. It looks awesome!
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H a p py B i r t h d ay t o yo 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
25 October Caleb Ford – age 10 26 October Elis Parry – age 12 28 October Allie Kinsey – age 13
J a n ie Age? 9. Favourite colour? Purple. Favourite food? Cheese (Brie). Favourite sport? Running and skipping. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Colouring. Favourite Bible story and why? The Christmas story, because, well, I just really like it, and Christmas is my favourite time of the year. Even more than my birthday!
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
Favourite TV programme? Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese . What do you want to be when you’re older? I want to be a vet and have a small holding. If I am a vet, I will specialise in farm animals. I will have lots of pets. Pets? None, but I want a bunny or a hamster for Christmas. Hobbies? Knitting, being kind, having fun, being my playful self. Tell us a joke. Did you hear about the snail racer who ditched his shell? They thought it would make them faster, but it just made them sluggish! What special skill or talent do you have? My talent is to do the pretzel in skipping. I also have lots of empathy. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I love teddies and my bedroom is very messy. I am crazy about reindeer and animals. I have a very big garden with grass, rocks, a garage (very big) and gravel. I love cycling. I am nine years old.
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I’VE PUT NEW batteries IN…
ROBBIE’S ASKED ME TO FIX HIS CALCULATOR, PATCH.
…I’VE CHECKED ALL THE CONNECTIONS…
I’VE EVEN TAKEN IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND EXPLAINED EVERYTHING I’VE DONE!
…AND I’VE GIVEN IT A GOOD CLEAN INSIDE.
AND WHAT DID THEY SAY? THE SALVATION ARMY – A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND REGISTERED CHARITY
THEY SAID THEY WERE PUZZLED AND THAT IT JUST DIDN’T ADD UP!
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2026. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO
Please Recycle Me! 16/10/2026 11:16