When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All that changes when he discovers Lyle – a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and music – living in the attic of his new home!
Lyle has been left there by his owner, Hector P Valenti. Hector had to travel and leave Lyle behind, but he promised to return and left Lyle with a music player with all of the croc’s favourite songs.
Josh and Lyle soon become best pals, but then Lyle’s lifestyle is threatened by their neighbour, Mr Grumps! The Primm family must join with Hector to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places. And that there’s nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality!
You can see ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ in UK and Ireland cinemas now. The film is rated PG, which stands for parental guidance. Parents or carers can read more about this rating at bbfc.co.uk before deciding if it’s suitable for their family.
How would you react if you found a crocodile living in your house? I’d run for it! Then I’d try to find an expert reptile handler who could take it away. Not Josh, though, he makes friends with the crooning crocodile and convinces his family that Lyle is safe to be around. Lyle changes Josh’s world, leading him to say to his parents, ‘Do you realise how different things have been since I met him? He’s changed everything for me – not just for me, but for you too!’ Lots of us could do with a Lyle in our lives.
Now I’m not comparing Jesus to a singing reptile, but millions of people would say that making friends with Jesus changed their lives big time. The thought of following Jesus can be scary, but I promise you there’s nothing to be frightened of. Maybe it’s time for you to make friends with Jesus.
Have you ever tried to make pottery? I’m guessing you haven’t, because not many people have a pottery wheel lying around! However, you probably have used air-dry clay or Play-Doh before.
The best thing about air-dry clay or Play-Doh is that you can make whatever you want with it. All you need is a bit of imagination. And if you make any mistakes, you can start again and even make something completely different. Just like the potter in this week’s Bible cartoon who reshaped the pot he was making.
Have you ever heard the song ‘The Potter’s Hand’? It’s all about how God is like a potter and can shape and mould us into whatever he needs us
says Cara Mottto be. And that’s exactly what is happening in this week’s Bible cartoon. God wants to remould the people of Israel so that they start living better lives.
Even today, God can remould any of us to make us better versions of ourselves – you might call him a mega moulder! I know that, because I’ve asked him to help change me before. I don’t mean physically change the way I look. Through prayer I’ve asked him to help me be a more positive or less shy person. I’ve even asked him to help me be less grumpy when I’ve not had enough sleep!
God can mould you into whatever person you want to be too. Just ask him to help with the things you want to be better at and see what happens!
The Play-Doh letters below have got mixed up. Turn them the right way up and put them in the correct order to work out a word from this week’s Bible story.
READ THE COMMENT BELOW ABOUT HOW GOD CAN HELP YOU BECOME THE BEST YOU CAN BE
As soon as we become friends with Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts. Each day, he helps us to become more like Jesus. As the Holy Spirit changes us, we produce good fruits so we can share the love of God with others.
Jesus wants nothing more than to be our friend. We all do things that are wrong but instead of being angry, Jesus responds with patience. He gives us time to realise our mistake, apologise and enjoy a true friendship with him. With God’s Holy Spirit living in us, we can also choose to be patient
Dear Jesus,Thank you for your patient lovetowardsme.WhenIamupset, helpmenottoholdgrudgesbutto respondtootherswithpatience
KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity clubaround. As a member you’ll go on amazingadventures through the Bible learning aboutJesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lotsof great stuff about being a Christian. You’llalso receive our mini-mag, Chatterbox,which is filled with jokes, games andmuch more. And to top it off, there areloads of awesome prizes to be won!
To join KA! JAM and complete theBible activity courses online, go tosalvationist.org.uk/kajam.
Or if you would like to receive the postal version,simply fill in the coupon below.
Name:
To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with two first-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Date of birth:
Address:
Boy or girl:
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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 joiningKA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvation Army and that it is not afree subscription to Kids Alive!
by Neil Locker
by Neil Locker
Are you an aspiring engineer who loves to build things?
There’s an opportunity to bring a wave of roller-coasting fun into your home with this week’s prize – a K’NEX Typhoon Frenzy Roller Coaster building set!
The K’NEX Typhoon Frenzy Roller Coaster set has more than 640 K’NEX parts. Use the easy-to-follow instructions to construct a twisting big dipper, using colourful rods, connectors and tracks. Then add motorised power to send a silver coaster car speeding around more than five metres of track. But that’s not the end of your construction fun! The roller coaster can be rebuilt into another amusement park ride. You can download instructions online to create an amazing second model – the Tsunami Surge Coaster. For your opportunity to win a K’NEX Typhoon Frenzy Roller Coaster building set answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘K’NEX Roller Coaster Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 11 November when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: K’NEX Roller Coaster Competition, Kids Alive! 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN.
To continue Colouring Corner’s celebration of Black History Month here’s a picture of Hamza Yassin for you to colour. You might know him best as Ranger Hamza from CBeebies’ Let’s Go For a Walk, but Hamza is also known for filming Scottish wildlife and presenting a number of TV programmes. Add some colour to the design below and if you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colourings to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Black History Month Colouring’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively you can post your colourings to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fill in the details below so we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name:
Age:
Tuesday 18 October is Anti-Slavery Day in the United Kingdom. You might think of slavery as something you’ve learnt about in history at school. However, slavery still happens around the world today, including in the UK.
Slavery is when a person is ‘owned’ by another and forced to work for them. They are treated as someone’s property, rather than as a person. Modern slavery is a term that is used so that people understand it’s different to historic slavery.
There are many ways people can be exploited or hurt by modern slavery. This can include forcing people to work without pay or making them commit crimes. Experts believe around 40 million people, including 10 million children, are affected by modern slavery worldwide. So it’s a big problem!
Many victims of modern slavery in the UK have been trafficked to have been trafficked from other countries. This means they have been tricked or forced to come to the UK against their will. Often they’ve been promised help with finding a job or with their studies. However, when they arrive in the UK they find out that’s been a lie. They may then have their passports or money taken from them and be kept against their will.
According to government statistics, many victims of slavery in the UK are actually British too. In fact it’s believed that the number of British people being trafficked or enslaved has gone up 40 per cent in the last 10 years!
Another big part of modern slavery is something called ‘county lines’. This involves smuggling illegal drugs from large cities in the UK to other parts of the country. This is organised by criminal gangs and it often involves bad treatment and trafficking of young and vulnerable people. Many of them are also British. According to the National Crime Agency, 80 per cent of UK police forces have evidence of children being treated badly in areas where county line gangs operate.
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
All that is pretty horrible to read, isn’t it? Well here’s something good. Over the last 10 years, The Salvation Army (who also publish Kids Alive!) has been working to support victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. Below are a couple of ways that they help…
Many Salvation Army staff, members and volunteers have trained as ‘first responders’. This means that they support victims by helping them to safety and getting them access to support.
The Salvation Army also provides support for victims once they have entered something called the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The NRM links the victims with people who can help with translation, medical or financial help. It also puts them in touch with police services.
By keeping your eyes open, you and your family might spot a victim of slavery. If you see someone who is any of the things listed below, talk to your parents or carers and ask them to call the police. You should never put yourself or others at risk.
The person seems quiet, very shy or frightened
The person seems dirty, untidy or shows signs of being hurt
The person doesn’t seem to own any property or money
The person appears to be under the control of someone else
There are many ways you can help raise awareness of modern slavery and help victims. Here are some suggestions below…
Organise a school assembly for Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October
Organise a fundraiser for The Salvation Army
Contact local businesses and ask them to make sure their supply chains don’t include victims of slavery and trafficking
Contact your local MP, council or Police and Crime Commissioner to tell them what you’re concerned about
Ask your parents or carers to buy an Anti-Slavery Day temporary tattoo from sps-shop.com/asd-tattoo. Buying one of these tattoos can help raise awareness of modern slavery as well as funding important work for victims.
For more information about what The Salvation Army is doing to help victims of modern slavery, visit salvationarmy.org.uk/modern-slavery
We’ve loved seeing all the Remember and Reflect creations you’ve sent for Queen Elizabeth II. This lovely picture was drawn by Adrian, age 9. The red hearts are fantastic!
Ciara, age 8, wrote some beautiful words to remember the Queen. We’re sure they reflect lots of people’s feelings about the Queen.
Amelia, age 8, also chose to feature some red hearts for her Remember and Reflect creation. She also drew an awesome picture of the Queen and Paddington Bear.
This fantastic Footballer Colouring was sent to us by Evelyn, age 9. We love the bright, colourful kit and goal!
Young people at Ipswich Citadel Salvation Army led and featured in a Sunday morning meeting. Each of the kids in the Sunday school is supported by a grown-up prayer partner. Here’s a photo of the prayer partners as they were celebrated during the meeting.
It looks like a lovely sunny day in this Footballer Colouring from Zac, age 6. We hope you enjoyed using your creative skills!
Isaak, age 15, used some really vibrant colours for his fab Footballer Colouring. It really helps the image stand out.
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! 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN
Age? 9.
Favourite colour? Red.
Favourite food? Pizza.
Favourite sport? Football.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!?
The jokes.
Favourite Bible story and why? Noah’s ark, because I love animals and it teaches us to be faithful to God.
Favourite TV programme? The Simpsons.
What do you want to be when you’re older? Footballer.
Hobbies? Football.
Pets? Two rabbits, Doug and Lilo.
Tell us a joke. What do you call cheese that’s not yours? Nacho cheese!
What special skill or talent do you have? I can do lots of keepy-ups and rainbow flicks with my football. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I just donated my long hair to charity and raised £1,400 for Little Princess Trust.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I have started to learn to play the tenor horn.
