Puzzle Answers
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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.
EDITOR Cara Mott
DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin
PROOFREADER Chris Horne
CONTACT US
Phone Of!ce – 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
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.
It’s Scrum-believable Six Nations Rugby 2025
Six! That’s the number of wives that King Henry had and the number of legs that an insect has. More interestingly for rugby fans, that’s also the number of teams that are taking part in the Men’s Six Nations Championship!
The Six Nations has taken place most years since 1883, although it had a different name back then – because there weren’t six countries taking part! Now the Six Nations sees teams representing England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales competing to take home the Championship Trophy.
This year’s competition started yesterday (31 January) with Wales playing against France. There are two games that you can watch today (1 February). Scotland will be taking on Italy at Murray!eld, with around 67,000 fans packed into the stadium to watch. Then later in the afternoon, Ireland will be taking to the pitch to try to beat England! If you’ve never watched rugby before, then there’s no better time to give it a try (pardon the pun) than today. If you already think that rugby is maul … we mean cool, then you’ll de!nitely want to watch the Six Nations too! So grab yourself a scrum-ptious snack and settle in for some thrilling games!
You can watch Scotland v Italy on BBC One today (1 February) at 2.15pm. Then you can watch Ireland v England at 4.45pm on ITV One or STV. Republic of Ireland viewers can watch on Virgin Media.
For any rugby player taking part in the Six Nations, it’s not just about what happens on the pitch. So much work goes on before the players kick off, before the fans enter the stadium and before any TV cameras start recording. I think playing sport is a bit like being a Christian. The big match might be going to church at the weekend. But that doesn’t mean we forget about Jesus the rest of the week. A sportsperson can’t just turn up to a big game without spending time preparing for it. Jesus needs to be part of our everyday lives. We can do this by reading about him in the Bible or talking to him through prayer. We can also do it through listening to music or spending time in nature. However you do it, make time to connect with Jesus so that he’s part of every day.
That’s Impossible!
Imight ride a unicorn to church tomorrow, or I might take a trip to Jupiter in a !ying car. Then, because I’ll be very hungry, I might eat a hamburger the size of Big Ben. I’m joking, obviously. All of these things are not only silly, but they’re also completely impossible!
The miracle that Jesus performed in this week’s Bible cartoon should have been impossible too. Nowadays we have things like glasses, which can make it easier for some people to see better. There was nothing like that during the time that Bartimaeus lived. Even in our world today, the miracle that Jesus performed seems mind-bogglingly impossible!
This cartoon shows us how powerful Jesus is. Jesus had the power to make Bartimaeus see and he also has the power to do amazing things in our lives. However, this story shows us something else that’s also incredibly important. It shows us the power of faith!
Bartimaeus had a dif cult life. If I were in his situation, I would have felt very sad. I might have even struggled to believe that anyone could help me. Yet Bartimaeus believed that Jesus could help him! Because of Bartimaeus’s faith, Jesus healed him!
Read the comment on the right about having faith in Jesus
We need to have faith in Jesus too! Jesus has done the impossible – he’s made a way for us to know God and join his family. However, we need to have faith in him for that to happen. We need to have a faith like Bartimaeus did. We need to believe that Jesus can do the impossible!
by Jacob Adams
Spot the Difference
Bartimaeus has just been healed and now he can see! Can you see the five differences between the two pictures of Bartimaeus celebrating below?
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.
Daughter Zion
Can you imagine seeing the village, town or city where you live destroyed? It would probably make you feel very sad. That’s how the people left behind in Jerusalem felt after the Babylonians invaded the second time! Most of the people of Judah had been captured but a few stayed in Jerusalem, such as Jeremiah. One of the people who stayed in Jerusalem wrote !ve poems to show how sad they felt about what had happened to their city. The writer said that Jerusalem was like a rich woman called Daughter Zion – abandoned and treated badly by her enemies!
Jerusalem and Judah had been punished because of their sins. The writer of these poems knew that God was angry with his people. However, they also knew that God loved the people of Judah. So the writer believed that the people’s exile would come to an end.
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.
Name:
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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.
Date of birth:
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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!
E for Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a country in the Horn of Africa, which is a region of eastern Africa. It’s one of the oldest countries and its capital city is Addis Ababa. The lowest place in Africa is found in Ethiopia – the Danakil Depression. It’s around 125 metres below sea level and has the hottest year-round temperatures in the world!
The human body is made up of so many different parts – we have around 206 bones! Did you know that there are 10 parts of the body that have names that are only 3 letters long? The 10 parts are arm, leg, eye, ear, lip, gum, toe, jaw, hip and rib. If you fancy a challenge, try singing that list to the tune of ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’!
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.
Have you ever been on a roller coaster? One of the most exciting parts of a roller coaster is when you go upside down! The Smiler at Alton Towers turns riders upside down more than any other ride in the world– it has 14 loops! So if you decide to go on the Smiler one day, be ready to get very dizzy.
Hoho,hoho!
Identify the mystery item in the magnifying glass
Hoho,haha,hehe!
Why do rugby fans eat up the sport?
Why are rugby players such good gardeners?
Why was the rugby player upset on their birthday?
Hehe,hehe!
Because it’s scrum-ptious!
What goes stomp, stomp, squelch, squelch?
An elephant wearing wet rugby boots!
Because they’re always planting their feet!
Why don’t grasshoppers like to watch rugby? They prefer cricket!
Complete the grid so that every column, row and colour-grouped box contain the numbers 1–6
He he, he he! ÷- ÷ X ÷ + + X ÷ ÷ + - SUPER SUM! X
by Neil Locker
Because they got a red card!
What’s the difference between Prince William and a rugby ball?
One is the heir to the throne. The other is thrown into the air! 3
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
Replace the question marks with an add, subtract, divide or multiply symbol to complete the sum + 5 ? 3 ? 30 ÷ ? 5 ? = 6
Hehe,hehe!
across:
I had a go at rugby the other day. I thought I was doing very well... ...but everyone just kept saying, ‘nice try’!
Find the Six Nations-related words in the grid
1 Where you go to sleep. 3 Hairdresser’s tool. 6 Device for telling the time. 7 Nocturnal bird. 8 Very young child. 10 Assistance. 12 Pen point. 13 First letter of Greek alphabet. 15 Writing table. 16 Have food.
down:
1 Spine. 2 Double act. 3 Baked item for birthday, for example. 4 Another name for elk. 5 Large animal with a trunk. 9 Holy book. 11 Public recreation area. 14 Food item with a pastry crust.
SIN BIN
What’s a bee’s favourite sport? Rug-bee! Haha,haha, ha ha! Once you’ve seen one rugby joke... ...you’ve seen them maul!
by Neil Locker
TCompetition
he average kid smiles around 400 times a day. So what makes you smile the most during an ordinary day? Is it walking home after school or tucking into a delicious dinner? For a lot of people, one of the things that never fails to make them grin is spending time with their pets! It’s hard to beat giving a cuddle to a pet that really loves you. Taking care of a pet has never been cuter than with FurReal My Minis Interactive Toys. There are three different animals to collect – a sweet calico kitty, a happy pup and a cute pink piglet. If you pet their backs, their tails will wag and their heads will bob up and down, just like real pets! Your new toy pet is also small enough to !t in a coat pocket or backpack, so whenever you feel like smiling during the day you can give your pet a cuddle!
For your opportunity to win your own FurReal My Minis Interactive Toy, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘FurReal Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 28 February when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: FurReal Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
How many times does the average kid smile during the day?
200 300 400
Name:
Address:
©Hasbro
RUGBY COLOURING
Many people believe rugby was invented in 1823, when a boy called William Webb Ellis picked up a football during a game and ran towards the goal! Since then, rugby has become a top sport all around the world. In fact, some of the greatest sporting events are rugby championships, such as the Six Nations. To celebrate rugby, why not add a splash of colour to the design below? If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colouring to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Rugby Colouring’ 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 colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name: Age:
Address:
Postcode:
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Children’s Mental Health Week
Some things are really hard to describe! For example, you’d probably struggle to describe what the colour blue looks like without using its name or pointing at something that’s blue, such as the sky. Sometimes the way that we’re feeling can be just as hard to describe – maybe because it’s impossible to !nd the right words, but also because we might feel scared or nervous to tell other people!
Although we understand why you might not want to talk about how you’re feeling, it’s really important that you do. In fact, that’s what Children’s Mental Health Week is all about!
You’re Not Alone!
Children’s Mental Health Week starts this Monday (3 February). It’s a week that aims to get kids talking and learning about their mental health. That’s because Place2Be (who organise the week) believe that kids should never have to go through mental health struggles on their own.
What is Mental Health?
When someone talks about their mental health, you might not be sure what that means. It’s actually pretty simple – they’re talking about how they’re thinking and feeling. So someone with good mental health might be thinking positively and feeling happy. You can’t choose to feel a certain way, and often your mental health is affected by what’s going on in your life.
Don’t Feel Guilty!
Just like our bodies can get poorly with a cold, our mental health can get poorly too. If your mental health is poorly, you have nothing to feel guilty about – we all feel poorly sometimes! It’s fab to talk to a grown-up that you trust about how you’re feeling. They won’t get mad at you – they’ll just want to help.
Someone with poorly mental health might sometimes feel…
Anxious, especially when going through something stressful, such as starting a new school. Anxiety might even stop them from doing things that they enjoy.
Sad, and maybe not just for a short amount of time. They might have sadness that doesn’t seem to go away.
Know Yourself, Grow Yourself
To help you to understand your mental health better, it’s really good to know as much about yourself as you can! That’s why the theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.
By knowing what your likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses are, you can start to understand how you’re feeling about different things in your life. Understanding and accepting the different emotions that you feel can help you to grow as a person!
Inside Out 2
For this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week, one of the ways that we’re being encouraged to know ourselves better is by watching Inside Out 2! If you’ve not seen Inside Out 2 before, you can !nd it on Disney Plus.
In Inside Out 2, it was so important for Riley to accept all of the emotions that she had, such as Joy and Anxiety. By getting to know herself better, Riley could grow as a person. You can do the same too!
Draw Yourself
Draw a picture of yourself in the space below. Around that picture, write some of the emotions that you’ve been feeling recently. Then, if you’d like to, you could show your picture to a grown-up you trust!
To find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week, head to place2be.org.uk/about-us/childrens-mental-health-week Let’s talk about mental health and get to know ourselves
Cool Colourings
Myah, Age 7
Alfie, Age 5
Here’s a selection of Cool Colourings from our readers! We love seeing what our readers create, so keep them coming!
Finley, Age 11
Syenna, Age 8
Perky the Pigeon
Truly, Age 5
Reuben, Age 6
A local children’s author called Jester Arrow visited Leighon-Sea Salvation Army. Jester read his !rst children’s book, Perky the Pigeon, to the parent-and-toddler group and the preschool. The kids loved it! The book is all about a pigeon who wants to be a singer. It teaches children to follow their dreams and never give up, as well as encouraging them to think about inclusion, perseverance and teamwork.
If you want to get a copy of Perky the Pigeon for yourself, check out perkythepigeon.onlineweb.shop
Go Rainbows!
Here’s a photo of Betty, Aoife and Phoebe who received their Gold Awards from Rainbows. This award is the highest a rainbow can achieve – well done, girls!
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 pink box below. Then we’ll send you the forms to complete.
G e t I n T o u c h !
Isabella
Age? 10.
Favourite colour? Green.
Favourite food? Tuna pasta.
Favourite sport? Rounders.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive! Giggle in the Middle – the crossword.
Favourite Bible story and why? I like the creation story, because that’s when people were made.
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
Favourite TV programme? The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.
What do you want to be when you’re older? When I’m older I’d like to do a job working in the church, because I love God. Pets? None.
Hobbies? Tap dancing, swimming, playing my cornet and knitting.
Tell us a joke. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Little old lady! Little old lady who? Wow, I didn’t know you could yodel! What special skill or talent do you have? I love practising gymnastics. I can do the splits, a front walk over, handstand, cartwheel, handstand into bridge and a back kick over.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I was born premature at 28 weeks, weighing just 1kg (2lb and 4oz). Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I’m a chatterbox!
Don’t you think it odd...
...But it’s not completely true, patch.
...That penguins are birds, but you can’t fly?
I’ve just booked a summer holiday in spain...
...and how do you think i’m getting there?!
People are always pointing that out...
What do you mean, percy?
