Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7538
7 November 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
this week...
Moses and God's Commandments
Anti-Bullying Week
r e Re m e m b l l A Them all
Them
N! I W Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 7 November.indd 1
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Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers
3
What’s Inside? Remember Them All and Ed’s Bit
4–5
KA! JAM
6
Bible Beasts and Where to Read About Them
7
Patch’s Problem
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
10
The Frozen King Competition Christmas Card Competition
LINKWORD: 1 Water. 2 Rock. 3 Ice. 4 Salt. 5 Table. New word: Wrist. BIG MYSTERY: Poppy. DOWN: 1 Comb. 2 Bus. 4 Rinse. 5 Mate. 6 Octopus. 10 Nerve. 11 Pant. 12 Pear. 15 Two. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Cube. 3 Drum. 7 Music. 8 Net. 9 Annoyed. 13 Air. 14 Untie. 16 Tree. 17 Door. PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 12.
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Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7538
7 November 2026 50P/60c
this week...
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
14–15 Your Space 16
Patch’s Pals Olive Forruthers
Subscribe* to
Anti-Bullying Week
this week...
Moses and God's Commandments
KA! JAM CRACKING COMMANDMENTS: 1, 4, 5, 7.
12–13 KA! World 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.
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
r Re m e m b e ll Them A all
IN!
Them
W Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive Kids
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.
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!
*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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Remember Them All D safe? As well as doctors, police officers and firefighters, there id you know that there are people whose job it is to keep us all
are also people who are a part of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces are split into three groups – the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force! It’s estimated that around 182,980 people are serving in the Armed Forces right now. When someone does something kind for you, it’s always good to show them how thankful you are. That’s why the Kids Alive! team think it would be a fab idea on Remembrance Day to celebrate anyone who’s working to keep us safe. This special day is on Wednesday 11 November, and it’s all about remembering those who have protected our country, both in the past and the present. Many people who’ve served in the Armed Forces have had to make enormous sacrifices – and the same is true of their families and friends. This Remembrance Day, we also want to honour anyone who’s stood by those who have worked to make the UK a safer place. At 11am on Wednesday, there will be a 2-minute silence all around the UK. You might be asked to Sunday 8 November is Remembrance be silent for a couple of minutes at your school Sunday, which means there’ll be special too. During this time, take the opportunity to church services around the UK. The think of all the people who have served in the National Service of Remembrance takes Armed Forces, or are still serving now. And be place tomorrow (8 November) at 11am, and thankful for the communities around them too! you can watch it on the BBC, ITV and Sky.
Every November many people wear poppies and take part in two-minute silences to remember anyone affected by war or conflict around the world. That includes in wars that happened long ago, but it also includes the places in our world today that aren’t peaceful. I don’t know about you, but when I’m thinking about the fighting happening in our world today, I don’t know what I can do to help. It’s such a big problem, and I’m just one person. In situations like these, perhaps the only thing we can do is pray. We can pray for those whose job it is to keep us safe, but also for the people living where fighting is happening, families that are missing people they love and for everyone who is working towards peace. We can also ask Jesus to help us all work together to create a kinder and more peaceful world in the future.
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D
So Many Rules!
id you know that in the country of Samoa, it’s against the law for a husband to forget that it’s his wife’s birthday? In Alaska, you’d be breaking the law if you woke up a sleeping bear to take a photo of it. And in Florida, it’s illegal to pass wind in a public place after 6pm on Thursdays! There are so many ridiculous rules which people have to follow, but the commandments which God gave his people in this week’s Bible cartoon were anything but silly. At the top of Mount Sinai, God gave Moses ten special commandments for his people to obey. The first four commandments were about how God’s people should show God the love he deserved. The last six commandments were about how they should love one another better! The instructions that God gave the Israelites weren’t silly (since they included rules we still follow today, such as not stealing) – but God’s people weren’t very good at following them! Before Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites had already broken one of God’s commandments by worshipping fake gods!
Read the comment to the right about the rules God gave his people
We can be terrible at following God’s rules too. However, one of the most amazing things about God is that he always loves us, even when we do wrong things. In fact, he loves us so much that he sent Jesus to take the punishment we deserve to have for all the bad things we do. Thanks to Jesus, we can join God’s fantastic family!
says Jacob Adams
Cracking Commandments Here’s a list of different rules. Four of these rules are ones that we’ve made up, and four are from the ten special commandments God gave to Moses! Put a tick next to the four commandments which came from God and a cross next to the rules we’ve created. Hint – check out Exodus 20:1-17!
1 You must not steal
5 You must not tell lies.
2 You must tie your laces.
6 You must not eat vegetables.
3 You must watch a film every Saturday.
7 You must respect your parents.
4 You must only worship God.
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8 You must not wake up sleeping bears.
Answers on page 2 30/10/2026 11:29
God’s Special Family
Check out your Bible Exodus 19:16-20, 20:1-17, 32:1-6
Moses and God’s Commandments 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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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!
Possessed Pigs
and Where Read About Them
Mark 5
STEVE ENGLISH
. .. n i Jo
‘My herd and I were grazing on the grass. From the hillside we had a lovely view of the sea below and the sun was shining – all in all, it was a great day. However, that didn’t last long. Looking down I could see that a boat had just arrived on the shore and there was a bit of a commotion going on. There was a man who didn’t look very well at all. He had chains on his arms and legs and he was kneeling down in front of a group of men. I soon lost interest and went back to eating the grass when all of a sudden I felt really strange! I started running towards the sea and I could see the other pigs were running too. We all went over the cliff, into the sea and then everything went black.’
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. 30/10/2026 11:38
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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!
Silly superstition
? ?
?
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
The Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is famous worldwide for its colourful landscape and size – it’s 446 kilometres long! In case you’re wondering, a canyon is a valley surrounded by high areas, such as mountains or hills. Every year, around five million people visit this super spot in Arizona, USA. Most people are there to check out the sweeping views or hike the trails. The rocks in the Grand Canyon are really interesting – you can see the layers piled on top of each other. There are more than 20 different layers and each one tells a story of the area’s history. The layers at the bottom are from a very long time ago and the ones at the top are the most recent.
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What did the police officer say to their belly button? ‘You’re under a vest!’
What do you call a factory that makes OK products? A satisfactory!
Crossword Clues
by Neil Locker
Crossword Clues across:
1 Shape of a sugar lump. 3 Percussion instrument. 7 Sounds produced by singing or instruments. 8 Fabric between goalposts. 9 Angry or irritated. 13 The mixture of gases that we breathe. 14 Unfasten a shoelace, for example. 16 Elm or willow, for example. 17 Entrance to a room.
down:
1 Hair-styling implement. 2 Vehicle carrying passengers by road. 4 Wash away soap suds with water. 5 Chess move, or a friend. 6 Sea creature with eight tentacles. 10 Courage. 11 Breathe heavily. 12 Fruit that’s narrow at the top and wider at the base. 15 The number of each animal taken by Noah on to the ark.
Answer 8
on Page
s
2
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
He he, he he!
Have you ever tried to eat a clock? It’s very time consuming!
What kind of room doesn’t have windows or a door? A mushroom!
Which pet is the loudest? A trumpet!
Why are pigs bad drivers? Because they hog the road!
What vegetable is kind to everyone? The sweet potato!
What do computers eat for a snack? Microchips!
What do you call a bear without any teeth? A gummy bear!
H e h e, he he!
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
em tery it s y m fy the ying glass Identi if magn in the
Correctly fill in the words that s link the left and right-hand column to reveal a new word in the blue squares. Clue: Bodily joint.
HOLY STICK OF CHOC PINCH OF TIMES
LILY poOL SKATES WATER SPOON
1
2
Linkword 3
4
5 by Neil Locker
remembrance WORDSEARCH Find the Remembrance-related words in the grid
cenotaph procession p hx hj ps ya qt os nl ae dc me mp remembrance memorial or mu we li xr my rt uz nv ac mo rs c n p e a c e a b l r e love peace poppy army e i c n d s r f y o i i s t g c h b t medals silence soldiers si y j e m k r wp pp ve al dl l n e q e s t o u w o veterans wreath unity no ve md tb ae cf gz hy pi sj xt ks r l h m s n a r e t e v the last post t
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H
ave you ever been given a job to do by your parents or carers, even though you’d much rather be doing something else? Perhaps you’ve had to tidy your messy bedroom, when you’d much rather be watching a fab film. Or maybe you’ve had to wash up a mountain of dishes, when you’d prefer to be reading Kids Alive! In The Frozen King, a new Greenwild adventure by Pari Thomson, 11-year-old Annika would much rather be travelling with her theatre buddies than learning how to become the queen of Iffenwild! However, when Annika’s uncle Max returns gravely injured from a trip to the Utter North, she finally has to take her job seriously. She’ll need to travel into the frozen North to find a cure for her uncle’s sickness. And if Annika fails her mission, it won’t just be his life that’s at stake – it will be the fate of the entire magical world! For the opportunity to win your own copy of The Frozen King, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘The Frozen King Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 4 December when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: The Frozen King Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
Where has Max been on a trip to? Utter North
Complete East
Total West
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 30/10/2026 11:13
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
Anti-Bullying Week Watching paint dry, getting stuck in traffic and waiting in long queues – there are some things we never talk about in Kids Alive! because they’re too boring! Is there anything you don’t like to talk about? It might be something which bores you, embarrasses you, or makes you feel sad. One subject that some people find it hard to talk about is bullying! Do you find it hard to talk about bullying too?
Stand Up to Bullying Did you know that around one in every four kids in the UK have been bullied? Bullying really is terrible – which is exactly why it’s so important that everyone stands up to it. That’s what Anti-Bullying Week is all about. This special week starts on Monday 16 November, and during the week, kids all around the UK will be learning about what they can do to stop bullying!
Break the Silence If you find it hard to talk about bullying, then you’re not alone – lots of kids find it very tricky! They might struggle to speak up when they’re being bullied, or to say anything when they see someone else being treated badly.
However, this week is the perfect opportunity to learn how to speak out against bullying. The theme of this year’s event in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is ‘Break the Silence’. That’s because the Anti-Bullying Alliance (who organise Anti-Bullying Week) want kids to start conversations about bullying and then to act against it!
Your Turn You might wonder why we’ve decided to tell you about Anti-Bullying Week now when it’s still a week away. That’s because there are three things which we think it’s important for you to learn to do before the week starts! You can break the silence around bullying by…
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Coming Together Bullying can leave people feeling like they’re all alone, with no one to talk to. If you see someone being bullied, let them know that you’re there for them. You could also introduce them to your pals, so that they have other people they can talk to.
If you’re being bullied, you might be made to feel like no one wants to be friends with you. Those bullies are very wrong – you’re brilliant! Speak to others around you about what you’re experiencing, including grown-ups you trust. You’ll be surprised by how many want to help you.
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Speaking Openly If you see that someone’s being bullied, don’t sit back and expect someone else to say something about it – speak out! To stop bullying, bullies need to be told that what they’re doing is wrong. Speaking out against a bully doesn’t mean trying to get into a fistfight with them. It means standing up for someone who’s being treated poorly. It also means talking to a trusted grown-up about what you’ve seen!
Choosing Kindness
3
Have you ever been tempted to say something unkind about someone in your class, or someone at your school? Instead of using your words to hurt someone’s feelings, choose to use them to be kind instead! This might look like chatting with a kid at school who’s often left out of games, or giving someone a compliment for something fab they’ve done.
Odd Socks Day It’s Odd Socks Day on Monday 16 November. This is a day when many people will wear odd socks to school. Everyone’s socks will be ridiculously different from one another, which is a fab way of celebrating that everyone is different and unique! By wearing odd socks, you’ll be showing that you want to break the silence around bullying.
To learn about Anti-Bullying Week in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, check out anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week-2026/anti-bullying-week-2026. To find out about Anti-Bullying Week in Scotland, visit respectme.org.uk/resources-abw-26.
Break the silence this Anti-Bullying Week! KA - p12-13 - 7 November.indd 2
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Cool Colourings Now that’s a cute dog! This pukka pup was coloured by Emi, aged 7. Great work, Emi!
Alisha, aged 7, sent us this ace Wimbledon Colouring. Those tennis balls look so adora-ball!
New Junior Soldiers
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army
Ivanna, Leryan, Aberdeen Citadel; Adam, David, Hannah, Orla, Brighouse; Zach, Govan; Adriana, Coco, Frazer, Trent, Zara, Guisborough; Caleb, Destiny, Donald, Michelle, Zephaniah, Ipswich Citadel; Michelle, Londonderry.
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nother a ’s e r e H og sweet d This g. colourin om one is fr d 8. ge Lydia, a urful – olo It’s so c it! we love
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
12 November Praise Ajunam – age 13
This cool colouring from Nina, aged 6, is giving us all the autumn feels! She’s done a great job using lots of lovely colours for the autumn leaves. I love t his aw esome Autum n Nina. I Colouring, lov especia e autumn, lly ru throug nning h the leaves in my lo park! W cal ha favour t’s your ite thin g about autum n?
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
J o s ia h Age? 7. Favourite colour? Blue. Favourite food? Ham and cheese crepes. Favourite sport? Hockey. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Cartoons. Favourite Bible story and why? Jonah, because it’s like us when we say ‘no’ to God. Favourite TV programme? Vlad and Nikki. What do you want to be when you’re older? Artist. Pets? None. Hobbies? Craft, LEGO and art. Tell us a joke. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Unicorn disco! Unicorn disco who? Let’s boogie! What special skill or talent do you have? Trampolining. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I can do cool moves. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? No.
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mum asked me to get her something she’d run out of.
Where are we going, olive?
oh no, i can’t remember what it was.
to the supermarket, patch.
let me run through the letters of the alphabet to see if it jogs my memory.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T ,U, V, W... NO IT’S NONE OF THEM.
THAT’S WHAT IT WAS!
THE SALVATION ARMY – A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND REGISTERED CHARITY
IT WAS X. I MEAN, EGGS! EGGS
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2026. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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