Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7393
13 January 2024
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
Herod Reacts to Jesus' Birth Majority World CIC / Alamy Stock picture
this week...
tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
Blue Monday
WIN!
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 13 January.indd 1
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What’s Inside?
Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers
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Africa Cup of Nations and Ed’s Bit
4–5
KA! JAM
6
Bible Brainteasers
7
Kiddo
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
10
PopHeads 3D Posters Competition
11
Colouring Corner
FIVE X FIVE Across: 1 Solid. 2 Otter. 3 Enemy. Down: 1 Stone. 2 Litre. 3 Derby. DOWN: 1 Nickname. 2 Web. 3 Beak. 4 Anvil. 5 Swimming. 9 Cloth. 11 Omit. 14 All. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 New. 3 Bear. 6 Cobra. 7 Vow. 8 Neck. 10 Plum. 12 Moo. 13 Miami. 15 Shot. 16 Leg. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE THERE’S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR! Mohamed Salah. PICK OUT PATCH: Page 13. BIBLE BRAINTEASERS: 1B. 2A. 3B. 4C. 5C. KA! JAM WORD FIT 1 Country. 2 Help. 3 Home. 4 Jesus. 5 Care. 6 Refugee. 7 Safety. 8 Welcome.
Love our comic? Check out
Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Sunday at 9–9.30am
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your Sunday started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles
12–13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space 16
Patch’s Pals Percy the Penguin
Subscribe* to
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. *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 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin
e Availabl online!
KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku 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 William and Catherine Booth GENERAL Lyndon 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.
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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Soccer Images / Alamy Stock Photo
he Africa Cup of Nations kicks off today (13 January) and there are 24 countries battling to be crowned Africa’s top team. After last year’s event was postponed because of weather concerns, fans of the competing nations will be even more excited to see their players perform. This year, the tournament is taking place in the Ivory Coast. Senegal are the current champions and one of the favourites this year too. However, there will be plenty of tough opposition. It’s Egypt that have won the most AFCON trophies, Ivory Coast that have home soil advantage and Morocco made history when they became the first African side to make it to the World Cup semi-finals in 2022. Plenty of the world’s top stars will be taking part too. Mohamed Salah will captain Egypt, Riyad Mahrez will lead Algeria, Sadio Mané will be playing with his Senegalese teammates and Victor Osimhen will be hoping to score plenty of goals for Nigeria. The first match, between Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, kicks off at 8pm tonight, and there will be plenty of action to watch between that and the final on Sunday 11 February. Who will you be supporting?
Coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations will be shown on Sky Sports
Hello, readers! Have you noticed anything different about this week’s page 3? If you’re thinking Justin looks a bit different in his editor cartoon this week, you’d be right! That’s because it’s not Justin, it’s me, Cara. You may not recognise my face, because I’ve not had a cartoon of myself before, but I’ve worked on Kids Alive! for many years and now I’m the new editor. The Kids Alive! team are really sad that Justin won’t be working for Kids Alive! anymore, but thankfully he’s not going very far. We’re hoping he’ll come back to help us sometimes … and take Patch for some walkies! He’s been a brilliant editor and I hope I can do just as good a job for you as he has done. If you love Kids Alive! as much as me, join me in saying, ‘THANKS, JUSTIN!’
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Read the comment below about welcoming people as Jesus did
Jesus Was a Refugee says Kat Whitmore
D
o you watch, read or listen to the news? If you do, then maybe you’ve heard about people who have to leave their homes because they are in danger. They often make long journeys, leaving all their possessions behind, to find somewhere safe to live. There might be people in your class, in your church, or living on your street who have moved because they couldn’t stay in their home country. People who have to do this are known as refugees or asylum seekers. Do you know anyone in that situation? In this week’s cartoon Bible story, we find out that Jesus was in that situation as a young child. He was a refugee who couldn’t live in his home country because it was too dangerous for him
Word Fit
1 3
Fit the words below into the grid opposite – the first one has been done for you
Welcome Country Refugee Safety Jesus Help Home Care
there. The fact that Jesus was a refugee has made me think… First, Jesus knows what it’s like to feel unsafe, so he cares and understands us when we feel unsafe. Of course, if you ever feel unsafe, you should always tell a trusted grown-up. However, you can always talk to Jesus too. Second, it shows me that we should welcome, care for and help people who are in danger. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus reminds us that when we help someone in need, we’re helping him! He wants us to welcome others, help them out and show his love to them. If you know someone in that position, how could you help them, or show them that they are welcome and loved?
5 7
8
6
C O U N T R Y
2
4
Answers on Page 2
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Inclusion in the Kingdom of God Herod Reacts to Jesus’ Birth
Check out your Bible – Matthew 2:9–15 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 BRAINTEASERS ? ?
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Would you consider yourself to be a Bible buff? Do you know how many fish and loaves Jesus used to feed 5,000 people? Which teenager defeated a giant and who was swallowed by a huge fish? From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of incredible stories and interesting information. Test your Bible knowledge by having a go at the questions below.
1 Which book in the Bible comes
2 In what Bible book can you find
3 What was the name of the only
did Jesus compare his 4 What relationship with his followers to?
female judge and leader of Israel? A Delilah CLUE B Deborah Judges 4:4 C Dorcas
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A Water and sand B Rain and soil C Vine and branches
I give you: _ _ _ _ one another.’ A Trust CLUE B Help John 13:34 C Love
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CLUE John 15:5
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5 Fill in the Bible verse – ‘A new command
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the story of Abraham and Isaac? A Genesis B Exodus C Leviticus
after the book of Psalms? A 1 Kings B Proverbs C Jeremiah
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ANSWERS ON PAGE 2
KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through th e Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sh eet is filled with lots of great stuff about be ing a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-m ag, Chatterbox, which is filled with jokes , games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prize s 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 vers ion, simply fill in the coup on below. To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with KA! JAM, 1 Champion two first-class stamps Park, London SE5 8FJ. – to: Applicants must be be tween 7 and 17 years old Name: to join. Date of birth: Address:
Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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Postcode: 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 Salvat ion Army and that it is not free subscription to Kid a s Alive!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS.
05/01/2024 10:48
irthday Happy Bir to You!
ure issue birthday printed in a fut d an me na ur yo e se To of birth me, address and date of KA! email your full na y.org.uk. Remember to type arm to kidsalive@salvation ct box. u!’ in the email’s subje Yo to ay thd Bir py ‘Hap
16 Januar y e 12 Maddie – ag
17 Januar y Sara Stepien – age 12 Amelia Stubbs – age 9
Zachary Stone – age 7
18 Januar y age 11 Scarlett Meadows – e4 George Riordan – ag
Pick Out Patch i LOVE FOOTBALL! i WILL BE WATCHING THE aFRICA cUP OF NATIONS THIS YEAR, WILL YOU? See if you can spot this version of me on ANOTHER PAGE IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE.
19 Januar y
Joshua Harper – age 11
Optical illusions use colour, light or patterns to confuse our brains – that means the illusions look different to what is actually there.
Which of these orange spots is bigger? They’re exactly the same size! If you don’t believe us, use a ruler to measure them. They look different sizes because our brains work out the size of something by looking at the things around it. So the little circles make one spot seem bigger and the larger circles make the other spot seem smalle r.
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h a h a, ha ha! o, Ho h , ha ha ! he he , He he ! he he
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
H e h e, he he!
africa c cu up WORDSEARCH Find some of the countries playing in the Africa Cup of Nations listed below in the grid
burkina faso Morocco algeria ivory coast CAPE VERDE NAMIBIA TANZANIA MOZAMBIQUE EGYPT ANGOLA ZAMBIA DR CONGO TUNISIA mali GUINEA-BISSAU How do hens encourage their football team? They egg them on!
What tea do footballers drink? Penal-tea!
How do football players stay cool during a game? They stand next to their fans! Why did the football quit the team? It was tired of being kicked around! When is a football pitch like a triangle? When someone takes a corner!
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g z e d r e v e P a c b x u m o r O C c o b u t t d i f a g j e b r x a s u k n d i g z k y v n a d n l e y b i b d n z o r i i p a n m a c a a c c l t s a b l a f m n y o a g f i o i h z i i r n m a l g a k s j b a o g s p n s y t w s i r v o z a a i r e g l a t i m o z a m b i q u e u
Why did the chicken get sent off? For persistent fowl play!
I was born in Nagrig, Egypt. I am the fastest Liverpool player to score 50 goals (it took me just 65 games). I am the highest-scoring African player in the Premier League and Champions League. My football boots were displayed in the British Museum next to other footwear from ancient Egypt. I have won the Premier League’s Golden Boot award three times. Can you guess who I am?
What insect didn’t play well in goal? The fumble bee!
Answ on P
ers
age
Crossword Clues
by Neil Locker
2
across: Crossword 1Crossword Unused. 3 Large mammal, such as a grizzly. 6 Venomous snake. Clues 7Clues Promise. 8 Body part between
head and shoulders. 10 Purple fruit. 12 Noise made by cow. 13 City and holiday resort in Florida. 15 Attempt at scoring a goal. 16 Lower limb.
down: 1 Alternative term of address by which a person is known. 2 Spider’s trap. 3 Bird’s mouth. 4 Blacksmith’s block. 5 Doing the breaststroke or crawl, for example. 9 Material or fabric. 11 Leave out. 14 Each or every.
The answers to the clues are made up using all the letters from the list of words below. The three highlighted letters have already been placed in the grid to help you. Solve the clues and use up all the remaining letters.
2
1
2
3
D
3
across: 1 Hard and firm. 2 River mammal. 3 Foe.
T
down: 1 Small rock. 2 Measure of liquid. 3 Match between local rivals.
N by Neil Locker
ENROL OMIT ENTTRY BED EN BED SITE
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PopHeads 3D Posters Competition
M
Available at selected major retailers
© Disney © Disney/Pixar © 2023 MARVEL
ake your bedrooms pop this winter with the new PopHeads® 3D Posters! Autumn Publishing, in collaboration with Disney have teamed up with paper engineering company, StackaWraps® Global to create these unique posters. Bring your favourite Disney, Pixar and MARVEL characters to life with easy to assemble posters. No glue or scissors are required, but there is an online tutorial if you get stuck. Characters featured include four Disney princesses – Belle, Moana, Ariel and Jasmine – as well as other Disney favourites such as Simba, Mickey Mouse, and Disney and Pixar’s Woody! MARVEL fans can also get their hands on posters of Hulk, Iron Man, Black Panther and Spider-Man. Also included in the poster packs are crafts, puzzles and colourings to complete. For your family’s opportunity to win a PopHeads 3D Poster*, ask your parent or carer (they must be 18 years old or over) to answer the question below and email their full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remind them to put ‘PopHeads 3D Poster Competition’ in the subject box. Their entry needs to reach us by Friday 9 February when the winners will be chosen. They can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: PopHeads 3D Posters Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN! *Prizes subject to availability Disney and MARVEL are not promoters of this competition
Which of these Disney characters is included in the PopHeads 3D Posters range? Woody
buzz
MR POTATO HEAD
Parent/carer name: Parent/carer address:
Postcode:
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Parent/carer age: Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
05/01/2024 11:10
FOOTBALL COLOURING Here’s a picture of a fabulous footballer to celebrate the men and women’s Africa Cup of Nations which are both taking place this year. Why not add some bold and bright colours to make an African-themed football kit? If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colourings to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Football 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! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. 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:
Address: Postcode: Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page
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lifestyle and caring ve ti ac an d an y th al he Living a tual well-being. iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
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Blue Monday
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Have you ever heard of Blue Monday? It’s not a day when people dress up as Smurfs or vocalise their support for Manchester City or Chelsea Football Clubs! It’s a day that some people believe is the most depressing day of the year. This year it’s on Monday 15 January, but why do people think it’s so depressing?
Why So Sad? The idea came from a psychologist called Dr Cliff Arnall. He created a formula using things such as the weather, money debt and the time since Christmas. This formula then ‘predicted’ what day of the year was most depressing. However, it’s important to remember that Dr Arnall created this formula to try to help a travel company sell holidays!
So Is Blue Monday Really Depressing? The short answer is no. A calendar can’t predict how everyone feels on one day. However, some people do struggle in January and it’s probably a mix of the cold or wet weather, dark nights, and Christmas being over. So even though Blue Monday is just made up, it’s always a good idea to take care of your mental well-being and check on the people around you.
Brew Monday The Samaritans (a charity that offers support to those that need it) agree, because they’ve started Brew Monday. Brew Monday is all about making time for a cup of tea and talk with family or friends. Then people can share how they’re feeling. Most kids don’t drink tea, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make time for a drink and chat. Just swap the tea for a juice, or whatever other drink you like, and get talking.
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Get Creative Talking about your feelings is great. Bottling things up doesn’t make things better and can often actually make things worse. However, not everyone finds talking about their feelings easy and that’s OK. If you’re struggling to get the words out, talking isn’t the only way to communicate feelings with others. You could write a letter, poem or story, or make a picture, cartoon or painting. Show your creation to your parents, carers or another grown-up you trust so they can help you work through anything that you’re worried about.
Listen Up Sharing anything that’s worrying you with family or friends is important, but it’s also important to check on others and listen to them. Here are some tips on being a great listener.
Once someone starts sharing how they’re feeling, give them the space to finish. Don’t immediately offer advice or talk about yourself. Let them finish saying what they want to say first.
Make eye contact with the person you’re talking to so they know you’re focused on them.
Be patient. Sometimes it takes people a little while to get out what they want to say.
Use open-ended questions to help people open up, such as ‘have you had a good week?’ or ‘what’s going on with you this week?’
Someone might not always want to talk about their feelings and that’s OK. Just make sure they know you’re there for them if they do want to chat.
For more information about Brew Monday, visit samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/brew-monday
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Parkhead’s Party
Mati lda Age? 7. Favourite colour? Yellow. Favourite food? Hot dog. Favourite sport? Netball. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Patch. Favourite Bible story and why? Esther, because she lives! Favourite TV programme? Unicorn Academy . What do you want to be when you’re older? Own an animal sanctuary. Pets? Dog, cat, hamster and fish. Hobbies? Crafting. Tell us a joke. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Leaf! Leaf who? Leaf me alone! What special skill or talent do you have? Singing. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I have a secret den under my bed. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I’ve met Declan Rice – my favourite footballer.
Children from Parkhead Salvation Army enjoyed a Christmas party with lots of fun games and food. After the party, there was also Messy Church that included making Christingles. Lots of the children didn’t know what a Christingle was, but loved learning about them and making one. In case you don’t know, Christingles are made using an orange decorated with red ribbon, sweets or dried fruit and a candle. Each part of the Christingle has a special meaning. The orange is the world and the ribbon is God’s love for the world and the blood of Jesus. The sweets or dried fruits represent God’s creation and the candle is Jesus, as he’s the light of the world.
If you’d like to star in our reader profile section like Mat ilda we’d love to hear from you! Get a grown-up to send us an email using the address in the pink box on the right. Then we’ll send you the forms to complete.
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Cool Colourings This cool Cricketer Colouring was sent by Otis, age 5. What a lovely blue sky – the perfect day for a cricket match!
What a brilliantly bright Comfort and Joy Colouring! It’s from Benjamin, age 6, and it’s a lovely reminder of the joy of Christmas.
Tessie, age 13, has created a lovely Ice Cream Colouring – we love all the different flavours of ice cream on show.
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
New Junior Soldier
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army
Maisie, Guisborough.
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i think the roots of that tree might have something to do with it, percy.
oh dear, it looks like i’ve got a burst pipe.
i’m going to phone for help.
SOON…
HERE HE IS!
THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG, PATCH.
HE DOESN’T LOOK LIKE HE’S EQUIPPED TO CHOP DOWN A TREE, PERCY.
IT’S A FRUIT TREE THAT’S CAUSING THE PROBLEM, SO I THOUGHT I SHOULD CALL… THE SALVATION ARMY – A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND REGISTERED CHARITY
…a plum-er!
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2024. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO
Please Recycle Me! 05/01/2024 11:07