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
Kiddo 8–9 Giggle in the Middle
Disney in Bloom Competition 11 Snack-tember Swaps 12–13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space 16 Patch’s Pals Percy the Penguin
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles
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. 3 Snack-tember and Ed’s Bit 4–5 KA! JAM 6 Bumper Bible Breakdown
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.
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EDITOR Cara Mott
DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin
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 Julian Watchorn
Picture this – you’re ridiculously hungry and it’s still ages until it’s dinner time. If you want to make it to dinner without having your tummy rumble like a racing car for hours on end, you’re probably going to want to have a snack. So what should you eat?
Without thinking too much about it, you might grab a packet of crisps, a chocolate bar or a handful of biscuits. However, over the coming month, we want to challenge you to really put some thought into the snacks that you eat. In fact, that’s what a special event called Snack-tember is all about! Snack-tember is for anyone between the ages of 5 and 16, and it lasts for the whole of September (which starts this Monday). The aim is to get young people to eat healthier snacks that have more vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, beans and pulses. At the same time, young people will be encouraged to eat less snacks that have lots of sugars, salt and fat. That’s because these snacks aren’t as good for us when we eat too many of them!
We think it would be a fab idea for Kids Alive! readers to give Snack-tember a go. You might take part by trying lots of new healthy snacks, or even by making a few healthy snacks of your own. Our hope is that you’ll discover that healthy snacks can be absolutely delicious – and that you’ll keep munching on them, even after Snack-tember has finished!
To sign up for Snack-tember and to discover delicious healthy recipes, check out nutrition.org.uk/snack-tember-2025
It's Crunch Time Lorem ipsum It's Crunch Time
Turn to page 11 to find out some healthy snack swap ideas
Making healthy food choices and getting enough exercise are so important for making sure our bodies are in tip-top shape.
As well as taking care of our bodies, it’s also important to make sure we look after our spiritual health. That means making sure our relationship with Jesus is in a good place. If you’re thinking, ‘How do I do that?’, I’ve got some tips! Even when your life is busy, make time in your week to speak to Jesus by praying. Plus, remember to read your Bible, so you can learn more about living like Jesus. Also, if you don’t already attend a church, try to find one near you so that you can worship Jesus with other Christians – it’s great fun! You can also worship God by spending time in nature or listening to worship songs at home. If you do these things, you’ll be in tip-top spiritual shape!
HBe Brave!
ave you got a little brother or sister? Do you alook after them and make sure they’re OK?
My ‘little’ brother is now 36 and much taller than me, but I still feel like I need to make sure he’s OK. If he needed help, I’d be the first in line to lend a hand.
In this week’s Bible cartoon we meet Miriam –she did something amazing to look after her little brother. Here’s some information to help you understand the situation Miriam was in. Miriam lived in a scary world – her Hebrew family were slaves to the Egyptian Pharaoh. The Pharaoh had decided all Hebrew baby boys should be killed, because he was worried that they would grow up to be soldiers who would fight to take over his kingdom.
Read the comment below about making incredible things happen says
Knowing all of that makes what Miriam did even more incredible! Can you imagine being brave enough to talk to a princess? And then to be smart enough to ask the princess to use Moses’ mum to look after him? Moses went on to live in the palace as the princess’s adopted son, and he eventually led the Hebrew people out of slavery! Everything that Moses did couldn’t have happened without his brave and clever big sister who loved him.
Miriam’s story is a fantastic reminder of what can happen when we’re brave and trust God. You might be brave by telling other kids at school about Jesus. Or maybe you could be brave enough to stand up for someone who’s being treated unfairly at school. Incredible things can come from brave decisions –so have a go and see what happens!
World-Changing Children
Below are some people who did incredible things as a kid. Match the person to the thing they did that was so brilliant. Then, why not look each of them up online? Their stories are so inspiring!
Malala Yousafzai
Anne Frank
A. Refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger
D. Invented a reading and writing system for people with visual problems
Louis Braille
Wolfgang Mozart
B. Youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest
E. Stood up for girls’ right to an education in Pakistan
Claudette Colvin
Jordan Romero
C. Wrote a diary about hiding from Nazis in the Second World War
F. Wrote his first symphony at just eight years old
Cara Mott
Bumper Bible Breakdown
Did you know the Bible isn’t one big book? It’s actually 66 books put together to tell one big story of God’s great love. Join us as we look at each Bible book and discover why God made the world, what went wrong and how in the end God saved the world through his son, Jesus.
Believers in Jerusalem
On a day known as Pentecost (not long after Jesus went to Heaven), Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem were given an amazing gift – the Holy Spirit! The Israelites had once built and rebuilt the Temple as a house for God, but the Holy Spirit (who is God) would actually live inside every Christian!
The Holy Spirit helped Christians to tell others about Jesus. In fact, they told so many people that around 5,000 Jews in Jerusalem became Christians! The Holy Spirit also helped Jesus’ disciples to stand up to anyone who didn’t like them, including the people who had killed Jesus.
However, after a church leader called Stephen was murdered, most Christians ran away from Jerusalem. They spread across the rest of Judea. This was actually a brilliant thing – because now they could begin their mission, which was to tell everyone in the world about Jesus!
Name:
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.
Date of birth:
Address:
Postcode:
Boy or girl: Do you attend a church, and if so, which one?
I, (signature)
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.
Unbelievable Animals
Forget cats and dogs – there are some animals that are so strange that it’s hard to believe they actually exist! Over the next few weeks, we’ll discover some of the wackiest!
wOBBEGONG SHARKS
Wobbegong sharks look like they’re covered in the kind of patterns that might be found on an old rug, which is why they’re also known as carpet sharks. They use their special appearance as camouflage on the seabed. Their flat bodies make them very hard to spot, which helps them to be fantastic predators.
Problem...
For one week in 2016, reindeer didn’t just help Father Christmas to deliver presents –they also helped Domino’s Pizza to deliver food to customers in Japan! However, the reindeer kept shaking their antlers at customers and refusing to stop to deliver food, so they had to be replaced by ordinary delivery drivers!
Hello, readers, i’M PATCH AND I’VE GOT A PROBLEM I THINK YOU MAY BE ABLE TO HELP ME WITH. i’VE LOST A VERY IMPORTANT OBJECT SOMEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIND IT? i HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.
You might know the date that Valentine’s Day is on or the name of the current king of the United Kingdom. However, there are also plenty of strange facts we reckon you haven’t got stored in your noggin! So here are a couple of random facts that you definitely (and by definitely, we mean don’t really) need to know.
Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes. Although we think that it’s a genius creation, it’s probably a good thing that it’s not used for what Alfred and Marc made it for… They wanted it to be a special wallpaper that people could put up in their homes! It took until 1961 for the pair to actually come up with a good use for it.
How did the banana wear its hair? In bunches!
Why did the banana go to the doctor? It wasn’t peeling well!
Why are herbs so expensive? Because thyme is money!
What do you call a band of berries practising music? A jam session! cucumbers
Starting at row 1, use the letters from the row above to make a new word in each row until you arrive at the base of the pyramid with a six-letter word. Clue: Flying swarming insect.
s U
by Neil Locker
Answers on Page 2
Find the healthy snacks in the grid
boiled
Hehe, he he!
Hoho,haha, he he!
What did the fruit say to its love?
‘I love you from my head to-ma-toes!’
Why did the melon jump into the lake? It wanted to be a watermelon!
across:
What do you say to a loud vegetable? ‘Turnip down!’ What vegetables do sailors hate? Leeks!
What is the fastest vegetable? A runner bean!
3 Top playing card. 5 Head of newspaper or magazine. 6 Star that Earth orbits.
7 Keyboard instrument. 8 Vegetable that can cause tears when you cut it. 11 Busy insect. 12 Rectangle. 13 Female bird.
down:
Crossword
Clues
1 Adam and Eve’s garden. 2 Halt. 3 Region. 4 Continent which includes the United Kingdom and France. 6 Stand or sit in a lazy, drooping way. 9 Tool used to smoothen clothes. 10 River of Egypt. 11 Part of skeleton. by
Neil Locker
Crossword Clues
Snack Sum Challenge Snack Challenge
One of the things we love about exploring nature is that we get to see so many different kinds of spectacular plants. Just by going on a short walk through a forest, you might get to see giant trees towering into the sky and wildflowers sprouting from the ground. However, imagine for a moment that on your walk through a forest, you saw the most unbelievable plant in existence – a plant that looked just like a Disney character!
Disney in Bloom soft toys from Simba are shaped like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck! Each soft toy comes in its own flowerpot, which means that you can put it on display in your home. We think that the Disney in Bloom plants are even cooler than any real plant you might find on a nature walk, because they look just as pretty – but you can also give them a snuggle!
For your opportunity to win your own Disney in Bloom soft toy, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
Remember to put ‘Disney in Bloom Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 26 September when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Disney in Bloom Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Name:
Address:
What are Disney in Bloom soft toys designed to look like?
Snack-tember Swaps!
Snack-tember begins on Monday (1 September), but let’s be honest – eating healthier can sometimes be really tricky, especially if you don’t know whether something’s healthy or not. To give you a hand, here’s a list of suggestions for some healthier snacks that you could swap into your diet.
Swap Swap
crisps for plain popcorn ice lollies for watermelon slices
Swap Swap
Swap
muffins for fruit salads biscuits for carrot, pepper or celery sticks
salted peanuts for unsalted mixed nuts or raisins
Swap
chocolate mousses for sugar-free jellies
If you’d like to check out plenty of healthy snack recipes, head to nhs.uk/healthier-families/food-facts/healthier-snacks
Swap doughnuts for bagels with sliced banana yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM! yUM, yUM!
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Reuben’s Magnificent Comic
Back in June, the Kids Alive! team received a very intriguing email. It was sent to us by a reader called Reuben, who told us that when he grows up, he’d love to be a comic writer!
Reuben had a big request – he asked whether we’d use one of the comics he’d issue. When we saw his comics, we just couldn’t say no. Reuben’s artwork is spectacular, and his stories are laugh-out-loud funny!
Be Bold
Reuben’s comics are brilliant, but we also loved how bold Reuben was. We can imagine that asking us to print his comic in must have been a scary thing to do, but Reuben was bold (which means that he courageously took a risk) and did it anyway!
We were inspired by Reuben, and we think that you should be too! So how can you be bold this week?
Bold in Your Hobbies
If you love sports, you could be bold by signing up to join a club for the first time. If you love to write stories, you could be bold by sharing them with your friends and family. In whatever hobbies you have, be bold by doing something brilliant, even if it feels a bit scary or challenging!
Bold in Your Faith
We can also find it tricky to tell our friends and family about Jesus, but the Bible encourages us to be bold! If you’ve read this week’s Bumper Bible Breakdown (on page 6), then you’ll know that God was with Jesus’ followers as they told everyone about him. If you’re a Christian, then you can be bold like the disciples, because you know God is always with you!
Now it’s time to read Reuben’s brilliant, fantastic, marvellous and – of course – magnificent comic!
To find out more about super-artist Reuben, check out his reader profile on page 15
Check out this World Ocean Day Colouring from Alana, aged 9 She’s done a great job adding plenty of colour to the underwater scene!
Cool Colou ri ngs
What a lovely turquoise turtle! It was coloured by Josie, aged 8 –we think the turtle looks very happy with its really stylish shell!
Alana’s and Josie’s colourings make me want to go for a swim with turtles. Who wants to come with me?
These super soldiers were coloured in by Riley, aged 9. They all look so smart in their red uniforms.
Pill’s Holiday Club
The kids at Pill Salvation Army Holiday Club had a fantastic time looking at Bible stories about David. These included David being anointed as the next king when he was a shepherd boy, and David’s experiences with Goliath, Saul and Bathsheba. They also learnt about Esther being chosen as queen and, finally, the promised king – Jesus!
The group of children enjoyed singing, dancing, painting, watching videos, playing games and doing lots of crafts. There were also some special prayer times. The teenagers also acted in a drama each day, and some people were even brave enough to be gunged!
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
2 September
Arabella Elizabeth Dolan Crowley – age 9
3 September
Lyra Bell – age 5
4 September
Megan Salter – age 12
G e t I n
T o u c h !
Yandiswa, aged 10, sent this creation to celebrate The Salvation Army’s birthday. The red shield looks fab!
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
Reuben
Age? 11.
Favourite colour? Lime.
Favourite food? Pizza.
Favourite sport? Tennis and swimming.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? Kiddo, Patch’s Pals and the KA! JAM comic.
Favourite Bible story and why? The Easter story, because Jesus died so he could forgive our sins.
Favourite TV programme? Dengineers and Blue Peter.
What do you want to be when you’re older? A teacher and a comic writer (check out Reuben’s awesome comic on page 13).
Pets? None – but I might get two guinea pigs soon.
Hobbies? Writing, reading, drawing, making comics, swimming, acting.
Tell us a joke. Why did the duck cross the road? It was the chicken’s day off!
What special skill or talent do you have? I can play the piano.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I got a solo in my school play.
Is there anything else you would like I am a quarter Cypriot. I also like doing family tree stuff and know my great (x6)-grandad’s name – William!
YOU NEED SOMEONE TO COME To FIX IT THEN.
I EMAILED A DOORBELL REPAIR MAN HOURS AGO… …AND I’VE BEEN WAITING IN FOR HIM ALL DAY! BUT HE STILL HASN’T SHOWN UP.
