Kids Alive! 1 October 2022

month BLACK history

October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom. The aim is to educate people about the history of black people in the UK, as well as celebrating the huge contributions they’ve made to British society. There are loads of ways to get involved. There’s no better time to research a project on heroes of black history, such as Mary Seacole or Harold Moody. You could also read books, such as Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England or Benjamin Zephaniah’s Windrush Child to find out about what it was like for children moving to the UK from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush generation. Museums are a great place to learn about black history too. Bristol Museum and Gallery, National Museums Liverpool and Black Cultural Archives (London) all have exhibitions on black history. Many others will also be holding special events for Black History Month. See if you can find something happening near you!

The theme for this year’s Black History Month is Time For Change – Action Not Words. So as well as learning about the past, it’s also important to put what we learn into action. That could be by standing up for people at school who are bullied because of their skin colour. It can also include writing to your local MP to point out ways you think people are being treated differently because of the colour of their skin. We should always make sure we treat all people the same, that way we can all help create a better world for everyone!

For more information about Black History Month and events happening during the month visit, blackhistorymonth.org.uk

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase ‘All mouth and no trousers’? It’s used to describe someone who talks about doing things, but never actually does anything.

The theme for Black History Month is Time For Change – Action Not Words. Most people know that it’s wrong to be unkind to others or to treat people unfairly because of the way they look, where they come from or what they believe. They might even know the right things to say or even what not to say. However, if we just know and say the right things but don’t take action nothing will really change.

As Christians we’re meant to be like Jesus. He knew and said a lot of stuff! More importantly, he put that knowledge and those words into action – he was loving, kind and respectful to everyone. If you want to make a real change, be more like Jesus.

Mary Seacole

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Look for the Positives

Have you ever heard of a situation when someone says, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ Sometimes famous people or celebrities use it if they think they should receive better treatment because of their fame. Perhaps they’ll be annoyed because they have to queue for a party instead of being let straight in.

In this week’s Bible cartoon, Naaman reacts a little like a famous person who thinks they deserve better treatment. He thinks Elisha should have healed him in person using his hands and not sent him to wash in a river. Thankfully, Naaman realised he was being silly, listened to Elisha’s orders and was healed!

God didn’t help Naaman in the way that he expected. Sometimes I’m guilty of not seeing the ways God helps me, because it’s not always in the

says Cara Mott

way I expect. I’ve never had him change my life in a sudden or dramatic way. But when I think about my everyday life, there are loads of little ways God helps make my life better.

One thing I’ve used to help me focus on the positive things in my life is a gratitude journal. At the end of the day I try to think of three things that have been good that day. Sometimes it’s little things, such as someone making me a really lovely cup of tea. Other times it’s bigger things, like being able to afford to go on holiday with my family. It helps me put aside any negative feelings and focus on the positives.

Why don’t you make an effort this week to look for the positive things God has done for you and write them down? Then you won’t forget!

Gratitude Journal

Use the space below to write down three things that God has helped you with. Then thank him for all he does for us.

READ THE COMMENT BELOW ABOUT BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE THINGS GOD DOES

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.

Fruits of the Spirit Joy Prayer

Life isn’t always perfect but we can trust God to look after us. It’s easy to feel happy when things are great or sad when they don’t go our way. However, no matter what happens, we can choose to praise Jesus because we know that in the end everything will be OK.

Dear Jesus,When I’m happy or sad,help me to rememberthat you’re in control ofeverything and let mechoose to praise you.Amen.

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:

I, (signature)

Postcode:

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!

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS.

did the girl put sugar on her

wanted to have

dreams!

Sometimes I tuck my knees into my chest and lean forwards. That’s just how I roll!

The answers to the clues in this puzzleare anagrams of the answer immediatelyabove or below, plus or minus one letter.The first one is filled in to give you a start.

by Neil Locker

by Neil Locker

If you’re looking for something to make you chuckle, we’ve got a competition for a book series that could be just what you need. is a side-splittingly funny graphic novel series. It’s jam-packed with silliness, puns and mysteries. There are now six books in the series and InvestiGators: Heist and Seek is the brand new sixth instalment. Mango and Brash are the InvestiGators – sewer-loving agents of SUIT and scourge of supervillains everywhere. In Heist and Seek, when rare paintings go missing, the InvestiGators are called on to the scene … the art scene! Mango and Brash go undercover and under canvas as world-famous painters to expose a crook who has truly mastered the art of crime! Can they recover the missing masterpieces and save the city art museum’s fundraising gala before it’s too late? And before they run out of appetisers!

For your opportunity to win a bundle of three InvestiGators books (Heist and Seek, Ants in Our P.A.N.T.S and Braver and Boulder), answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘InvestiGators Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 28 October when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: InvestiGators Competition, Kids Alive! 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN.

Which of these is the name of one of the InvestiGators?

Melon Mango Mandarin

Name: Address: Postcode: Age:

Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk

black history month colouring

October is Black History Month and 4–10 October is World Space Week, so we’ve combined the two for this cool colouring. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a black British space scientist who also presents The Sky at Night and CBBC’s Out of this World. She’s also written books and toured schools to get kids excited about space. 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. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fill in your details belowso we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Age:

Dyslexia Awareness Week

Dyslexia Awareness Week will take place between 3 and 9 October. It’s an annual event to try to encourage people to recognise and understand the issues people with dyslexia face. This year the theme for Dyslexia Awareness Week is Breaking Through Barriers. This means the focus will be on the barriers that people living with dyslexia battle against.

What is Dyslexia? Slop

Around one in ten people is believed to be dyslexic, including grown-ups and children. Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which often affects reading, writing and spelling skills, but it doesn’t affect how clever someone is.

As with many learning difficulties and conditions, people can experience dyslexia in different ways. Some might struggle with reading and writing, while others find maths more tricky. Some dyslexic people also struggle with organisational skills or remembering things, such as the order of the alphabet or months of the year.

Positive Powers

Despite the challenges, there are many positives to thinking differently. Often dyslexic people have super skills in other areas, such as creative thinking or problem solving. And dyslexia doesn’t mean someone can’t achieve great things.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who features on page 11 this week, is an award-winning space scientist … she also has dyslexia. Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire businessman is dyslexic. TV chef Jamie Oliver, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise and Formula 1 supremo Lewis Hamilton are all, you guessed it, dyslexic!

Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

National Poetry Day

Another famous person with dyslexia is British poet, Benjamin Zephaniah. Just like many dyslexic people, Benjamin struggled with reading and writing as a child. However, he also credits his dyslexia with improving his creativity, because if you ‘can’t find the word you’re searching for, you have to think of a way to write around it’. Even now, if he can’t remember how to spell a word while writing he draws a little picture for it and comes back to it later.

As National Poetry Day is taking place on 6 October there’s no better time to think about using your creativity to write poems. Remember, poems are about expressing yourself creatively. Don’t worry about spellings and if you’re struggling to write your ideas down on paper there are alternatives. Benjamin Zephaniah used to ask his sister and girlfriend to write his poems out for him. You could also record yourself speaking them.

Libraries Week

Another event happening this week is Libraries Week (3–9 October). This is a celebration of the role libraries have in our lifelong learning journey. While some libraries aren’t designed in the best way for dyslexic people to access books, there are some that have made specific choices to help. Longer loan periods and colour-coded book collections instead of alphabetical or numerical lists is a couple of suggestions for dyslexia-friendly libraries. Also stocking books that use dyslexia-friendly typefaces and page layouts are also massively important.

Many libraries have audio book collections. These can be a great alternative if reading physical books is very challenging. There are also ebooks available to loan. These can be easier to read because it’s possible to adjust things such as the typeface, screen brightness and text size or spacing. Visit your local library and ask the staff what they offer to help dyslexic people. Maybe you’ll inspire some changes!

Ask For Help

If you’re struggling with your reading or writing skills, talk to your parents, carers or teachers. There are lots of ways schools can help and most have SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) who are specially trained to help students with things such as dyslexia.

For more information about Dyslexia Awareness Week, you can also visit bdadyslexia.org.uk

Reflections and Colou ri ngs

Emilie, age 8, used our Remember and Reflect space to produce this amazing creation. We love the cool drawings, especially the really cute corgi dog. We’re sure the Royal Family would love it too.

Ophelia, age 6, sent us her fab Footballer Colouring. Doesn’t the footballer’s pink and purple hair look so cool?

Sherwin, age 12, also used the Remember and Reflect page to write this lovely prayer for the Queen, King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family. Beautiful words, Sherwin!

Here’s another fantastic Footballer Colouring. This cool creation was sent to us by Jessica, age 10. Great choice of colours for the kit!

Back to School Sunday

On Back to School Sunday the young people from Belfast North Salvation Army wore their school uniforms. Each of them shared what they were looking forward to most and the hopes they had for the new school year. Each of the children also received a gift and a back to school prayer.

G e t I n

T o 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! 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN

Caitlin

Age? 8. Favourite colour? Purple. Favourite food? Pizza.

Favourite sport? Football. Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? The puzzles.

Favourite Bible story and why? Adam and Eve, because it teaches others to listen to God.

Favourite TV programme? The Deep.

What do you want to be when you’re older? A vet. Hobbies? Dancing. Pets? None.

Tell us a joke. ‘Have you heard the bin joke?’ ‘Don’t worry, it’s rubbish!’ What special skill or talent do you have? I can play the keyboard. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I do lots of sports. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? No.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, OLIVE?

I’M SORRY, BUT BROWN OWL SAID THAT SHE DIDN’T WANT YOU TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER COFFEE!

BROWN OWL ASKED ME TO MAKE HER A CUP OF COFFEE.

I JUST TOLD HER THAT YOU SAID YOU WANTED HER TO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR COFFEE!

I’M GOING BACK INTO THE HALL - I CAN GIVE IT TO HER.

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KATHLEEN? WHY’S SHE CRYING?

OH, OLIVE! IT WASN’T KATHLEEN THAT I DIDN’T WANT WITH MY COFFEE…

…IT WAS CAFFEINE! IT KEEPS ME AWAKE AT NIGHT IF I HAVE IT IN MY COFFEE IN THE EVENING.