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EDITOR Cara Mott
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin
PROOFREADER Chris Horne
CONTACT US
Phone Of!ce – 020 7367 4910
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.
DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku
INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham
TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Julian Watchorn
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.
The Masked Singer Who s behind the mask?
icture this – you’ve just put on a very silly costume. Perhaps you’ve dressed up as a bear, a snail or even teeth! You walk out on to a stage in front of a massive audience. Nobody knows who you actually are underneath your costume, but a team (known as the panellists) are going to try their best to !gure it out. Then a song starts to play and you sing your heart out!
That’s exactly what 12 celebrities will experience in this year’s series of The Masked Singer! In The Masked Singer, celebrities dress up in silly costumes. Then they sing along to a song, trying to disguise their voice so that no one can guess who they are. This year, the panellists will be using their detective skills to !gure out the identities of celebrities dressed up as a crab, a wolf, spaghetti Bolognese and so much more!
Although this series of The Masked Singer started last Saturday (4 January), there’s still plenty of time to catch up! You’ll be sure to giggle at some of the silly dancing and laugh out loud at some of the panellists’ guesses (Jonathan Ross always seems to think that someone is a chef called Mary Berry). You’ll also be sure to hear some genuinely spectacular voices!
You can watch last week’s episode of ‘The Masked Singer’ on ITVX (STV Player in Scotland). The second episode airs on ITV and STV on 11 January at 7pm.
The Masked Singer is such a cool idea for a TV programme. I love seeing what costumes the celebrity contestants come up with – they’re always so random! It’s also so much fun to shout guesses at the TV when you’re watching at home!
Thinking about The Masked Singer reminded me of one of my favourite psalms – Psalm 139. This psalm was written by a man named David and it’s all about how God knows every single thing about us. There’s no hiding anything from God – he’d know exactly who you were even if you were dressed as a piranha!
The psalm goes on to say that God is with us wherever we go and whatever we do. Every day of our lives, God will be there to protect and guide us. Even when times feel tough, God is always there to help us. What a wonderful thing to remember!
Read the comment below about how God always keeps his promises
FGod is a Promise Keeper
or my 10th birthday, my mum promised to get me a pair of roller skates. I was so excited, but unfortunately they were out of stock! Each day I rushed home hoping they would be there. Eventually, after two weeks they !nally arrived!
In this week’s Bible cartoon, Simeon and Anna had been waiting far longer than two weeks. You see, God had made several promises to the Israelites that one day they would have a special king, the Messiah, who would rescue them. The Israelites had been waiting for hundreds of years –but eventually God’s promises happened when Jesus was born.
Waiting can be really hard, especially if like Simeon and Anna you’ve been waiting a very long time. It can be easy to feel like what you’re waiting
for is never going to happen. But the cool thing is that Simeon and Anna never lost hope. They faithfully served God and worshipped him at the Temple. Even though God’s promises seemed to be taking ages, they had faith that it would all be OK.
No wonder they were so excited when they saw Mary and Joseph in the Temple courts. Mary and Joseph were just doing what they believed was the right thing to do – following God’s laws. But in that moment, everyone got to experience God’s faithfulness and see his promises in action.
The Bible is !lled with thousands of promises that God has made to everyone who believes and trusts in him. Sometimes they may sound impossible, but we can be con!dent that God always keeps his word!
Promise Puzzle
Fill in the gaps to reveal the promise. Clue – Romans 8:28 (International Children’s Bible).
‘We
that in everything
works for the
of those who love him. They are the
because that was his
says Ibukun Baku
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.
Love is a Gift
Song of Songs is a collection of love poems in the Bible. To be honest, it might seem like a strange book when you !rst read it. That’s because it doesn’t really mention God much. Instead, it’s focused on the love between a man and a woman! The poems go back and forth between the couple as they sing about what they love about one another. They also sing about looking to !nd each other when they’re not together – they don’t want to ever be apart. The love that they have for each other is really beautiful!
Although Song of Songs might not look like it’s talking about God, it reminds us that love is a gift from God. That means that love is something to be treasured. It also helps us to remember that just like the couple in Song of Songs love one another, God loves us!
e a kdown Song of Songs Song of Songs
p er Bible B r e a muBnwodk p re elbiB B
Join...
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 !ll in the application form and send it – along with two KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Name:
Address:
Date of birth:
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.
There are 195 countries in the world. We’re going to explore 26 of them, using the alphabet to decide where to go to next!
B for Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Caribbean Sea. It’s just 20 miles long, which means that it’s the 13th smallest country in the world! Barbados has more than 80 beautiful white sand beaches, which are often where leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles make their nests.
What’s your favourite style of dancing?
Perhaps you’re magni!cent at doing the robot, or maybe you’re brilliant at ballet!
Although Srushti Sudhir Jagtap mostly performed a dance called Kathak, she probably also tried every dance move you could think of from 29 May to 3 June 2023. That’s because she danced for 127 hours, breaking the world record!
Patch’s Problem...
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 de!nitely (and by de!nitely, we mean don’t really) need to know.
How far can you stick your tongue out of your mouth? However far you can stick out your tongue, it will be further than a crocodile can stick out theirs! That’s because crocodiles can’t stick their tongues out of their mouths. There’s a good reason why – it’s so that when they’re eating prey, they don’t accidentally bite their own tongues!
Why do bees hum? Because they always forget the words!
What do you call a singing cow? A moo-sician!
by Neil Locker
across:
Crossword Clues
1 Garment worn around your neck. 3 Organ of smell. 6 Ice house. 7 Chopper. 8 Small amphibian with a tail. 10 Opening for a coin on a machine. 12 Untruth. 13 Word of greeting. 15 Not fast. 16 Flying mammal. down:
1 Three-sided figure. 2 Snake-like fish. 3 Gas used in illuminated signs. 4 Garden creature with a shell. 5 Red salad vegetable. 9 Tyre-covered part of a bicycle. 11 TV programme or put on display. 14 Throw or hit ball in a high arc.
Crossword Clues
Answers on Page 2
Insert the 12 letters given below into the grid so that the same four words read both across and down
Hoho,hoho! Hehe,hehe!
AACE ELLL LOOV
F F E W
What do you call a singing laptop? A Dell! (Adele!) Haha,haha,haha! Hoho,haha,hehe!
by Neil Locker
What kind of band sings about duvets? A cover band!
What sort of songs do balloons hate? Pop songs!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he! He he, he he!
Identify the mystery item in the magnifying glass
the masked singer WORDSEARCH
Find the characters in ‘The Masked Singer’ listed below
S
G
H
T
T
What do cats sing? Mew-sic!
What key do cows sing in? Beef !at!
What do you call a musical insect? A humbug!
What’s a singer’s favourite drink? Pop!
What’s green and sings?
Elvis Parsley!
dressed crab bush tattoo wolf snail
I was born in 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania.
I grew up on a Christmas tree farm and it was my job to pick o praying mantis insects from the trees.
I have released many successful songs, including ‘Shake It O ’. I recently nished my world tour called The Eras Tour. I’ve released 11 albums and won 11 Grammys. Can you guess who I am?
Young Explorers Bible Competition
Have you ever been on an adventure? Perhaps you’ve trekked into the woods and built a den out of old branches. Or maybe you’ve climbed a mountain and enjoyed the beautiful view from the summit. An explorer called Bear Grylls has gone on plenty of wild adventures. In fact, he’s been to more than 150 countries! He’s even climbed Mount Everest!
Now Bear has a fantastic adventure for you to go on – reading the Bible! With The NIV Bible for Young Explorers, you can read all about the brave men and women of the Bible as they journey through deserts, face hard times and discover what it means to follow God. Bear’s also written lots of extra guides throughout this Bible, so you’ll be able to get the most out of your adventure. He’ll even help you to see how the whole Bible points towards Jesus!
For your opportunity to win your own copy of The NIV Bible for Young Explorers, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Young Explorers Bible Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 7 February when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by !lling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Young Explorers Bible Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Name:
Address:
Prizes kindly donated by Hodder Faith
DESIGN A MASKED SINGER COSTUME
If you were on The Masked Singer, what costume would you wear? Perhaps you’d dress up as a fearsome lion! Or maybe you’d dress up as a roaring dragon! If you felt like wearing a very odd costume, then perhaps you’d dress up as a hamburger! Have a think about what you would wear, and then design your Masked Singer costume in the space below. If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your design to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Design a Masked Singer Costume’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively you can post your colouring to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to !ll in the details below so we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose design we publish, so don’t miss out!
Turn to page 3 to find out more about ‘The Masked Singer’
Name: Age:
Address:
Postcode:
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Veganuary
For the whole of this month it’s not just January – it’s also Veganuary! Veganuary takes place all over the world and it’s about getting people to consider becoming vegans. As part of Veganuary, amazing new vegan recipes are launched, as people make changes to their diets to help the environment and protect animals.
What Are Vegans?
You might have met someone who says that they’re a vegan before but not known what that meant, so here’s a quick explanation! A vegan is a person who doesn’t eat any food that’s come from animals. They also don’t use products that have come from animals, such as certain shampoos!
Brilliant Benefits
There are a couple of reasons why considering being a vegan is a good idea…
Protecting the Planet!
The food in a vegan diet is much better for the environment than a meat one! That’s because making plant-based food produces less greenhouse gases. Studies have also shown that producing the food for vegan diets results in less water pollution and destruction of wildlife than making food for meat eaters!
Protecting Animals
In the United Kingdom, more than one billion chickens are eaten every year. With the demand for meat being so high, this often means that some animals aren’t kept very well. They can be kept in very crowded areas, where they have no space to behave in a way that’s normal for them.
Make Small Changes
Becoming a vegan might sound like a giant change. It may even sound a little bit scary, especially if you don’t like fruit or vegetables!
The good news is that you don’t need to make loads of changes all at once. If you’d like to try being vegan but you’re not ready to make massive changes, think about…
Not eating food products from animals for one day every week! You could eat animal products on every other day, but for one day a week, you could try out being a vegan.
Talking to your parents or carers about buying free-range meat. Free-range meat comes from animals that have normally been treated better than animals whose meat isn’t free-range.
Checking whether items that aren’t food are vegan! You could swap things like shampoo or plastic bags for vegan alternatives.
Cooking Ideas
If you’re ready to try cooking some vegan meals, try making…
A delicious curry, but using vegetables like squash and aubergine instead of chicken!
A burger, but using a meat-free patty instead of beef or chicken!
A pizza, but with vegan cheese instead of mozzarella!
Spaghetti Bolognese, but using lentils instead of beef!
Vegan cookies! They taste like normal cookies, only they don’t use butter or eggs!
There are so many fantastic vegan recipes on the Veganuary website. Just check out veganuary.com/recipes to !nd one that you like the look of.
Patch’s Missing Ingredients
Patch is taking part in Veganuary and he’s decided to make a vegan curry. He’s bought rice, tomatoes, aubergine, coriander (which is little green leaves), a red onion and a bowl full of spices. However, he’s lost all of his ingredients somewhere on these two pages!
Can you !nd Patch’s missing ingredients? Once you’ve found them, draw a line to connect them to Patch’s frying pan so that he can !nally get cooking!
Cool Colou ri ngs
Our readers had a super creative year in 2024! We received so many cool colourings. Here are some that we think are fab!
Maxine, Age 8
Leah, Age 7
Ella, Age 10
Sophia, Age 11
Mithiran, Age 8
Mark, Age 10
Leon, Age 6
Julia, Age 10
Jasmin, Age 6
Kitty, Age 6
Theivamani, Age 5
If you’d like to star in our reader pro!le section we’d love to hear from you! Get a grown-up to send us an email using the address in the blue box below. Then we’ll send you the forms to complete.
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! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ
Jessica
Age? 9.
Favourite colour? Light blue and red.
Favourite food? Rice and stew.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? Giggle in the Middle.
Favourite Bible story and why? Noah and the ark, because God gives us another chance.
Favourite TV programme? like them all!
What do you want to be when you’re older? Schoolteacher. Pets? No pets. Hobbies? Playing Roblox.
Tell us a joke. Why did the sand blush? Because the sea weed! What special skill or talent do you have? I’m good at volleyball.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I have the best sister in the world!
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? No.
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
12 January
Beulah Richard-Ndah – age 15
Jacob Thomas Roberts – age 7
17 January
Sara Stepien – age 13
Amelia Stubbs – age 10
WHY ARE YOU LOOKING SO GLOOMY, ERIC?
BUT THEY SET ME UP on A DATE WITH AN ORDINARY EEL.
I WENT ON A DATE LAST NIGHT, BUT IT DIDN’T WORK OUT.
I JOINED A DATING AGENCY AND TOLD THEM I ONLY WANTED TO MEET ELECTRIC EELS.
I SEE, BUT WHAT REAL DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE, ERIC?
