Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7528
29 August 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
Jesus Prays tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
this week...
The Ultimate UK and Ireland Guide
WIN!
F re s t r a t h S September Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 29 August.indd 1
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Puzzle Answers
What’s Inside?
Turn this page upside down to read the answers DOWN: 1 Tame. 2 Agree. 3 Chum.
3
Fresh Start September and Ed’s Bit
4–5
KA! JAM
6
Proverbially Speaking
7
Patch’s Problem
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
10
Sticki Rolls Sticki Mates Competition
11
Cookery Corner
ANAGRAMS ACROSS: 1 Team. 4 Marsh. 5 Ream. DOWN: 1 Nazareth. 2 Bob. 3 Boat. 4 Bible. 5 Hydrogen. 9 Canoe. 11 Oslo. 14 Ink. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Nib. 3 Baby. 6 Zebra. 7 Boy. 8 Rock. 10 Pear. 12 Tin. 13 Sling. 15 Zero. 16 Kin. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE HOBBY HUNT Sewing: D, F, I and M. Cooking: C, E, H and L. Scrapbooking: A, B, G, J and K. PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 11.
12–13 KA! World
KA! JAM WHO’S INCLUDED?: We hope you’ve drawn a smiley face next to every name, because everyone’s welcome in God’s family!
14–15 Your Space 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!
16
Patch’s Pals Eric the Electric Eel
Subscribe* to
Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7528
29 August 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
Jesus Prays this week...
and caring and an active lifestyle Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. for your physical,
The Ultimate UK and Ireland Guide
WIN!
F re s art t h S September 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 Matt Penberthy 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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Fresh Start September I
s there anything you’d hoped to do in 2026 that you haven’t got around to? Maybe you really wanted to become a dazzling dancer, learn to play the guitar or write a comic book! Perhaps, back in January, your New Year’s resolution was to learn how to bake a cake or to make a spectacular film – and you’ve not done either of those things yet! If you’ve not managed to do everything you’d hoped you would this year, be kind to yourself – life can be really busy, can’t it? After you’ve given yourself a reassuring pat on the back, then make sure that you take part in a special, brand-new event that the Kids Alive! team has come up with – Fresh Start September! If someone is having a fresh start, that means they’re giving themselves a new beginning – an opportunity to do things in a different way. So from 1 September onwards, we want to encourage all our Kids Alive! readers to have a ‘fresh start’. That means that we’d love for our readers to make positive changes to their lives, try out exciting new hobbies and develop lots of different skills! There’s no better time than this September to have a fresh start, particularly near the beginning of a new school year. So what will you challenge yourself to achieve this Fresh Start September?
You can let the ‘Kids Alive!’ team know what hobbies or skills you’re developing this Fresh Start September by emailing us at kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
I always loved back-to-school time as a kid – mostly because I loved getting new stationery! It’s not just new stationery that makes the start of a new school year good, though. Even now, I always feel like it’s the perfect time to make positive changes to my life. Have you heard the Bible story of Zacchaeus? He was greedy and unkind, but after meeting Jesus everything changed, and his life was so much better – Jesus gave him a fresh start! And guess what? You can have a fresh start with Jesus too! If you don’t know much about Jesus, now is the time to find out more. If you’re not great at remembering to pray, do your best to change that. If you’ve not told anyone at school that you’re a Christian, share that news with friends. Whatever your fresh start looks like, remember that Jesus is with you every step of the way!
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I
If I Was a King...
f I was the king of Kids Alive!, I’d come up with lots of silly rules! I could even decide who’s allowed to actually read it. I might declare that Kids Alive! is only for people with hair that’s so long it touches their toes. Or it might only be for anyone who owns a giant hat, can do seven backflips in a row and can lick their nose! Isn’t it brilliant news that God is a much (much) better king than I would be? In this week’s Bible cartoon, Jesus taught his followers to pray to God that his kingdom would come. This was a prayer that God would rule the Earth, like a king or queen rules over a country! And there’s no kinder, more loving king than God. God, the king of all creation, welcomes everyone to join his family – including you, and all of your pals. And everyone in your school class. And all of your teachers, and your parents or carers. And everyone you’ve ever met or ever will meet. And everyone in the world you’ll never get to meet! Since God loves the whole world so much that everyone’s welcome to join his family, we should always make sure that everyone around us feels included! You might do this by being kind to a new kid who joins your school. Or by showing love to those in society who are often treated poorly, such as people experiencing homelessness. God loves the whole world, so are you showing love to everyone around you?
Read the comment on the left about how God is an amazing king
by Jacob Adams
Who’s Included? Here’s a list of lots of different people from around the world. Draw a smiley face next to each person who’s welcome to join God’s family!
Maria Samuel Aoi Fatima
Melokuhle Olivia Alparslan Liam Answer on Page 2
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Jesus Prays
Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore it! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it
21/08/2026 10:45
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Check out your Bible – Matthew 6:5-13
Following Jesus
5
Steve English
Proverbially Speaking top tips from proverbs
Top Tip 17 what
nt and show It’s wise to be patie iving others. you are like by forg Proverbs 19:11
nglish Version)
(Contemporary E
. .. n i Jo
STEVE ENGLISH
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.
Action!
When people upse t us, it’s normal to feel angry or hurt. How ever, the best thin g to do next is forgive them – just like Jesus fo rgives us. This week, if so meone upsets yo u, try not to hold a grudge. The sooner you fo rgive them, the more pe aceful you will feel .
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. 21/08/2026 10:46
?
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!
Fo ur fu rio us fri en ds fo ug ht fo r th e ph on e
? ?
?
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
Great Wall of China Have you heard someone say, ‘The Great Wall of China can be seen from space’? Well, that’s actually not true, but that doesn’t make this masterpiece of construction any less impressive. The Great Wall of China isn’t actually just one long wall – it’s several sections of wall that were built by different ancient Chinese kingdoms a very long time ago. The walls were built to protect the kingdoms from neighbours who might raid or invade them. To this day, it’s one of the biggest and most impressive structures ever built. The main section of the wall is thousands of kilometres long. Some parts of the wall have crumbled or even been destroyed, but others have been well preserved and are popular for people doing treks and tourists taking selfies!
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, ha ha ! ha ha
o, Ho h , ha ha ! he he , He he ! h he e
o, Ho h , ha ha ! he he , He he ! he he
all What dance do ? astronauts know The moonwalk!
Fresh s st tart september W WO O R DS E A R C H Find the hobbies listed below in the grid
birdwatching dancing swimming painting collecting drawing writing horse riding cooking gardening scrapbooking singing sewing inventing reading Why did the chef have to stop cooking? They ran out of thyme!
What did the stone want to be ? when it grew up A rock star!
b v w g n i mm i w s g x i d a n c i n g r n n g n r e a d i n g i s i a v t d y z e h k t i t r e g f w c b o l i n c d n n n j a o k q n g e e t i r i b t o s g i l n i w v p w u c k t n l i n a a x y e e h i g o n g r z b c d s n i n c g c d f p a i n t i n g s h o r s e r i d i n g
Why can’t pine trees sew? Because they always drop their needles!
What do you call a cow that can play a musical instrument? A moo-sician!
Hobby Hunt Hobbies are fun and can help us learn new skills. Match the items to the hobbies that they’re used in.
sewing
a
b
h
i
cooking
scrapbooking
c
d
j
k
e
f l
g m
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Answ on P
ers
age
2
Crossword Clues
across:
1 Pen point. 3 Very young child. 6 Striped African animal. 7 Male child. 8 Large stone. 10 Fruit which is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. 12 Container for baked beans or soup, for example. 13 David’s weapon against Goliath. 15 Nought or nil. 16 Family.
down:
1 Town in Galilee where Jesus grew up. 2 Go up and down (in water), or a hairstyle. 3 Vessel smaller than a ship. 4 Christian holy book. 5 Gas element whose symbol is H and is found in water (H2O). 9 Light, narrow boat propelled with oars. 11 Capital of Norway. 14 Writing fluid. by Neil Locker
ANAGRAMS 1
The answers to this puzzle are all anagrams of the clues. Rearrange the letters to find the new words.
2
A
T
4
3
acros
R
M
S CLUE s: 1 Meat 4 Harms 5 Mare
down:
5
1 Mate 2 Eager 3 Much
R by Neil Locker
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COMPETITION D
o you know what the word kawaii means? It’s a Japanese word that’s used to describe something that might be cute or adorable! A fluffy baby animal might be considered kawaii, and the prizes in this week’s competition are definitely kawaii too. That’s because they’re absolutely adorable! Sticki Mates are collectible sticker dispensers that hold any Sticki Rolls. However, there’s something truly amazing about these sticker dispensers – they’re designed to look like ridiculously cute characters! With 14 characters to discover, such as Axie the Axolotl and Happy Cappy the Capybara, you can be sure that you’ll be adding a seriously kawaii sticker dispenser to your Sticki Rolls collection! There are even some very special characters that are up for grabs, such as the ultra-rare Golden Chillin’ Charlie Penguin Pal! For the opportunity to win your own Sticki Rolls Sticki Mates, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Sticki Rolls Sticki Mates Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 25 September when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Sticki Rolls Sticki Mates Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
What does the word kawaii mean? Adorable
Annoying
Angry
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
10
Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
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YORKSHIRE PUDDING RECIPE What’s your favourite part of a Sunday roast? We think it’s hard to beat a Yorkshire pudding (which you can learn more about on page 12)! To celebrate this fab treat, why not try out this scrumptious Yorkshire pudding recipe? This recipe has a brilliant twist – you won’t need gravy, because these yorkies are for dessert!
WHAT YOU NEED
Mixing bowl. Whisk. Jug. Spoons. Cupcake tray. 140g plain flour. 4 eggs. 200ml milk. Sunflower oil. 300ml double cream. 400g strawberries. 150g raspberries. 1tbsp icing sugar. Grown-up to help.
MIX, MIX !
2
3
5
6
METHOD
1. Heat your oven to 230°C, and then pour a little bit of sunflower oil into each hole in your cupcake tray. Each hole should be about a fifth of the way full of oil. Ask a grown-up to put the tray into the oven to warm up! 2. Mix the flour and the eggs together in a bowl, until you’ve got a smooth batter. Then add your milk a little bit at a time, constantly mixing it into the batter. Keep mixing until your batter hasn’t got any lumps. Then pour your batter into a jug. 3. After the cupcake tray has been in the oven for around 15 minutes, ask a grown-up to take it out. Then, with your grown-up’s help, pour the batter into the cupcake holes. You can use all the batter you’ve made – just make sure that it’s shared evenly across all the holes! 4. Ask a grown-up to put the cupcake tray back into the oven, and leave your Yorkshire puddings to cook for 20 to 25 minutes. It’s super important that you don’t open the oven to look at your yorkies until 20 minutes have passed. Otherwise, they won’t rise! 5. While the yorkies are cooking, use your whisk to whip your double cream. Then ask your grown-up to help you to slice strawberries. 6. After your Yorkshire puddings have been taken out of the oven, remove them from the tray. Then put a big dollop of cream inside each pudding – and add as many strawberries and raspberries (or any other fruit you choose) to each one as you like! 7. Sprinkle each pudding with a little bit of icing sugar, and then share your homemade Yorkshire puddings with your family and friends!
TAA , DA A !
Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 29 August.indd 1
7
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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 Ultimate UK and Ireland Guide From stunning landmarks to delicious dinners, there are so many brilliant reasons why the UK and Ireland are such spectacular places to call home! To celebrate England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to these five countries. Why not join us as we discover just a few of the reasons why we believe that the UK and Ireland are absolutely brilliant?
In this week’s guide to the UK and Ireland, we’ll be exploring…
Fantastic Foods There are so many scrumptious snacks, tasty treats and magnificent meals to try around the UK and Ireland. Let’s learn about some of the very best!
England Cornish Pasties Cornish pasties are tasty pastries which are traditionally filled with beef, potato, swede and onion. They were invented in (no surprises here) Cornwall. Cornish pasties became particularly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. In fact, they were the go-to meal for many Cornish miners!
Yorkshire Puddings
What would a Sunday roast be without a yummy Yorkshire pudding (we like our Yorkshire puddings soaked in gravy)? This batter-based pudding first featured in a recipe book written in 1737, and it was called a ‘dripping pudding’ at the time. It’s actually created using pancake batter!
Ireland
Irish Stew Irish stew (also known as stobhach Gaelach) is a dish that was created by farmers and shepherds back in the 19th century. It contains meat from older sheep (which is known as mutton), as well as potatoes, onions and water. In the past, these ingredients would be cooked together over an open fire.
Spice Bag 12
This brilliant Irish dish is actually a fairly new invention. It was created by The Sunflower Chinese Takeaway in Dublin in 2006! If you’ve never had a spice bag, then you’re missing out. Chips, red and green peppers, chillies and a Chinese spice blend are mixed together in a paper bag!
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Northern Ireland Fifteens Any Kids Alive! reader with a sweet tooth is sure to love Fifteens – a tasty traybake from Northern Ireland. This snack uses 15 digestive biscuits, 15 marshmallows and 15 cherries (as well as condensed milk and coconut) to create one of the most scrumptious desserts imaginable!
Soda Farls If you’re picturing a fizzy soda drink after reading the name of this Northern Irish snack, then guess again. Soda farl is actually slightly underbaked white bread! Each round of bread is split into four sections, also known as farls. They can then be pan-fried as part of an Ulster fry, which is a cooked breakfast.
Scotland Chicken Tikka Masala That’s right – one of the most popular curries in the world was actually created in Scotland! Ali Ahmed Aslam, a chef in Glasgow, created this spicy dish in the 1970s. To fix a dinner that a customer said was too dry, Ali threw together a curry using a can of tomato soup – and made history!
Haggis Haggis is Scotland’s national dish. In fact, it’s so popular that a writer called Robert Burns wrote a poem about it! This dish mixes oatmeal, onion, suet and spices with sheep’s pluck (which is a sheep’s heart, liver and lungs). Although this meal is a favourite in Scotland, it was actually also enjoyed in Ancient Greece!
Wales
Glamorgan Sausage If you’re a vegetarian, then Glamorgan sausages are the perfect treat for you. These veggie sausages were first sold in the county of Glamorgan, but they became particularly popular during the Second World War. They’re made of cheese and leeks, which are wrapped together in breadcrumbs.
Welsh Rarebit Welsh rarebit might have a bit of an unusual name – but it’s also absolutely scrumptious! This next-level cheese toastie has been enjoyed in Wales since at least 1725. Welsh cheese is mixed with mustard and then slathered all over toasted bread. Delicious!
What’s your favourite food to munch on in the UK and Ireland? KA - p12-13 - 29 August.indd 2
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Cool Colourings
Regular re aders will know that we publis hed a whopping 11 colouri ngs in last we ek’s issue . Here are nine m ore that w e needed to find space for because th ey’re so g ood! What ama zing artists our readers a re!
Emlyn, aged 5, has used so many fabulous felt-tip colours for this cool Cheerleader Colouring!
autifullye b a ’s e Her y un safet s d e r u colo g from colourin ged 12. Oscar, a to be e We’d lov r that de sitting un n the o umbrella now! ht beach rig
terrific What a ! olouring Turtle C ent by It was s , aged 13 , s a m o T ve the lo e w d an d shell. e n o t o tw
George, aged 12, has created this cool Firefighters Colouring. We love the texture he’s – added to the colouring do you love it too?
Check out this Care for Creation Colouring from Doris. What a wonderful reminder of how important it is to care for our world.
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Osian, aged 5, has also sent us a super Cheerleading Colouring. Look at the rainbow hair – isn’t it awesome? ged 8, a , l i a g i Ab d these designe socks to splendid World e celebrat e yndrom S n w o D t hat grea w – y a D y! creativit
orld Art W e t a r To celeb aged 9, , y b u R , ly Day absolute is h t s u sent uring – lo o c g in stunn ! e, Ruby n o d ll e w
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
2 September Arabella Elizabeth Dolan Crowley – age 10 3 September Lyra Bell – age 6 4 September Megan Salter – age 13
Here’s another fab firefighter – this one is from David, aged 10, and we think it’s fantastic!
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
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?
Are you ok, eric?
i didn’t know eels could fly.
We can’t, patch.
it’s just that i suffer froM hay fever and every time i sneeze...
atishoo!
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Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2026. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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Please Recycle Me! 21/08/2026 11:12