Kids Alive! 20 April 2024

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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. 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.

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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 Offce – 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

On Sunday 21 April, more than 50,000 runners will be putting on their comfest trainers and taking part in the London Marathon. It’s one of the most popular marathons in the world and has been running since 1981. Runners will have to complete a 26.2-mile course around the River Thames! They’ll pass some amazing landmarks, such as Buckingham Palace, and even run across Tower Bridge. You might think that someone would have to be crazy to run the London Marathon, but lots of these runners will be taking part to raise money for charities. Some runners will even be running to support the work of The Salvation Army (who publish Kids Alive!). They’ll be joined by big crowds all across London who have come to cheer them on towards the For those of us who won’t be at the marathon, we’ll be able to put our feet up and watch it on our televisions. Although the runners won’t be able to see or hear us, we still think it would be a good idea to show them our support. Plus, you might get to see a few funny costumes, as some runners love dressing up!

I can’t imagine how tough it must be to run a marathon! If it was me, I think there would be so many points where I would want to stop running, lie on the foor and give up. So I’m always impressed by all the amazing runners that manage it every year.

I’m sure they have their tough moments too. However, they keep putting one foot in front of the other and it must be the best feeling when they totally smash it and cross that fnish line!

While I was writing this, I just remembered one of my favourite Bible verses. It’s Philippians 4:13 and it says, ‘Christ gives me the strength to face anything’ (Contemporary English Version). That’s true for all the runners taking part in the London Marathon, but it’s also true for you. Whatever challenge you’re facing this week, ask Jesus for the strength to smash it!

The London Marathon will be on BBC One from 8.30am on Sunday 21 April, and on BBC Two from 2pm onward

Steve English

I Want That!

Ihave a friend, Josh, who lives near where they flm Doctor Who. He loves to watch the show being flmed and he’s started to get to know the crew that make it. The actor who plays the Doctor even knows his name! I’m a Doctor Who fan so sometimes I can get super jealous of him. I’ll often think, ‘What’s so good about Josh that the Doctor wants to be his friend?’

Have you ever felt jealous? Maybe a friend has gone on an incredible holiday or maybe they’ve done better than you in a test. Jealousy is something that everybody experiences but it’s never a good thing.

After David had joined King Saul’s court, Saul became jealous. David was well liked and a mighty warrior – so Saul saw him as competition. Even though David’s best friend was Saul’s son and David was married to Saul’s daughter, Saul plotted to kill him!

Saul even threw a spear at David! Hopefully you’ve never thrown a spear at someone, but sometimes our words can be a bit like spears. We can launch them at our friends and family and they can hurt their feelings.

Read the comment to the right about showing love instead of anger

In Mark 12:31, we read that Jesus said to, ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ (International Children’s Bible). Jesus didn’t just say that – it was something that he actually did too! When you feel jealous, why not pray to God? Pray that God will take any jealousy that you feel and swap it with love for your neighbours. You don’t want to be jealous like Saul. Be like Jesus instead.

says Jacob Adams

Say Something Loving

Jacob is about to say something to his friend, Josh. Complete this maze to help him say something loving – and avoid hitting any spears!

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.

God’s Promise with Israel

After the Israelites had safely crossed the Red Sea and were in the desert, God made a promise to them. God promised to look after them and make them his special people if they obeyed his commandments.

God appeared to the Israelites at the top of Mount Sinai. There was thunder and lightning and a large cloud covered the mountain with smoke. Moses went up to the top to meet with God and to receive the Ten Commandments. The people promised to obey the commandments, but they often failed to do so. However, God still kept his side of the agreement and took care of them. He gave them very detailed instructions for the building of the Tabernacle – a special place of worship where he could come to be with them.

Name:

Address:

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 fll in the application form and send it – along with two frst-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.

Date of birth:

Boy or girl:

Postcode:

Do you attend a church, and if so, which one?

I, (signature) PLEASE

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!

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday t to You!

To see your name and birthday printed in a future issue of KA! email your full name, address and date of birth to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to type ‘Happy Birthday to You!’ in the email’s subject box.

20 April

Fay Byron-Hannaby – age 12 22 April

Meena Joy Allen – age 14

25 April

Harrison Bryce – age 11

21 April

Pick Out Patch

Grace Whitmore – age 13

24 April

Eva Riordan – age 7

26 April

Leia Arthur – age 13

Amelia Campbell – age 11

Gracelyn – age 11

I’ve got my trainers on and i’m ready to get outdoors for a run! See if you can spot this version of me on another PAGE IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE.

Optical illusions use colour, light or patterns to confuse our brains – that means the illusions look different to what is actually there.

If you look at the grid this way the spots look raised. But turn this page upside down – do the spots look dipped? The positioning of the shadows confuses our brains and makes the spots look different.

What’s a runner’s favourite school subject? Jog-raphy!

Who won the vegetable race? The runner bean!

Crossword Clues

by Neil Locker

across:

3 Drag or pull. 5 Small red fruit. 6 Rodent.

7 Vision had during sleep. 8 Seaside location.

11 Adult male. 12 Tree-dwelling primate.

13 Plaything. down:

Crossword Clues

Haha,haha,haha!

1 Attempt at scoring a goal. 2 Poke. 3 Rubber wheel surround. 4 Meat from a pig. 6 Animal kept in a hutch. 9 Christian church and charity: The Salvation _ _ _ _. 10 Pointer on a clock. 11 Encounter.

Answers on Page 2

Insert the 12 letters given below into the grid so that the same four words read both across and down

AEEH HLLO OOPP

Hoho,hoho!

W W L S

by Neil Locker

What happens if a runner doesn’t wear proper shoes? They suffer the agony of de feet!

Haha, hahaha, ha!

Hehe,hehe!

Hoho,

Why did the runner show up an hour after the race began? He was running late!

Hoho, hoho!

haha,hehe!

He he, he he!

Ho ho, ha ha, he he!

Identify the mystery item in the magnifying glass

S T L U S E R D E M I T

T C Q X L O N F M Z O H

N S H W H E B E R W E P

A P C A C J D H E M N C

P o B A R A Q R Z A I U

Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha!

Ho ho, ho ho!

I N R V L I B X C S L T

C S Y S Z R T R B C H T

I O A G I J O I T O S Y

T R L D R W S K E T I S

R S G Y D B D F G S N A

A E Z S H J L N Z T I R P L A N D M A R K S F K

Because it used its calf muscles! What happened to the tomato that fell behind in the race? It tried to ketchup!

He he, he he!

Why was the young cow so good at running?

Ho ho, ha ha, he he!

What do runners do when they forget something? They jog their memory!

Find the marathon-related words in the grid

I was born in present-day Somalia. I’m a retired British long-distance runner.

I won the gold medal in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

I received my knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2017.

My celebration dance is known as the Mobot.

Can you guess who I am?

Marvel Snapbands COMPETITION

uperheroes live in so many different places. Spider-Man lives in New York, Black Panther lives in Wakanda and Ghost-Spider lives in an entirely different multiverse! Now with the seriously cool Marvel Snapbands, you can have your very own superhero that’s with you all the time, no matter where you are.

Supervillains beware, because these fun and cuddly heroes can be taken on the go with ease. Simply snap one on your wrist and let them hitch a lift. You could even snap one on to your backpack strap! There are six superheroes to collect: Spider-Man, Black Panther, Iron Man, Ghost-Spider and your favourite Guardians of the Galaxy – Groot and Rocket Raccoon.

For your opportunity to win a Marvel Snapband, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Marvel Snapbands Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 17 May when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by flling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Marvel Snapbands Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.

Name:

Address:

Which of these superheroes can you collect as a Marvel Snapband?

Thor Hulk Groot

EARTH DAY COLOURING

Earth Day is all about looking after our world – and our world is truly wonderful, isn’t it? It’s full of mountains, rainforests, beaches, animals, plants and more people than you can even imagine! To celebrate Earth Day and the brilliant planet we live on, add some 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 ‘Earth Day 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 fll 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!

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

Earth Day

Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how amazing our planet is. For a start, Earth is the only planet that us humans can live on! It’s the perfect distance from the Sun and has the perfect amount of water and air.

However, us humans are pretty terrible at looking after our planet. We can forget that our actions can really hurt our world. On 22 April, we’ll be celebrating Earth Day. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to learn about how we can treat our planet better. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference!

Planet Versus Plastics

The theme of this year’s Earth Day is Planet Versus Plastics. That might sound like the name of a really boring superhero story but it’s actually something that’s really important.

Plastic is terrible for our planet. Unlike other materials such as food, plastic doesn’t just disappear quickly. It takes at least a few hundred years for plastic to decompose, and humans have been using a lot of plastic! We put plastic into everything, even tea bags! Our planet is absolutely full of it.

Plastic ends up all over the place – even in the air and sea! For marine animals, such as dolphins and turtles, it can be really harmful. It’s not good for us humans either.

So organisers of this year’s Earth Day are setting out on a great new mission. Just recycling our plastic isn’t good enough… by 2040 organisers want people to reduce the amount of plastic being made by 60 per cent!

Green Muscle Memory

It’s all well and good to say that we’re going to stop making so much plastic, but you might be wondering what you could actually do to start helping the planet. You probably don’t run a factory producing millions of plastic bottles – but there are still things that you can do!

You could start building your own ‘Green Muscle Memory’. That doesn’t mean getting monstrously massive muscles by lifting heavy chunks of plastic. We use the phrase ‘muscle memory’ to talk about things that you can do without even needing to think about doing them – such as tying your laces, typing on a keyboard or maybe annoying your siblings!

You can also develop a muscle memory for looking after the planet, which is called a ‘Green Muscle Memory’. You can do that by spending time learning about ways to help the planet. The Earth Hub page on the Earth Day website would be a great place to start – head to earthday.org/earth-hub. It’s got lots of quizzes and fact to help you learn about how to better look after our world!

Once you’ve learnt about some ways to help the planet, put them into action! Soon you’ll be doing them without even thinking about it.

Planet-Protecting Activities

There’s an endless number of things that you can do to help look after our planet. These could be activities to reduce plastic or activities that just help the planet in general! Here are some ideas for things that you can get up to.

Team up with your friends and family to clean up a local habitat by picking up all of the rubbish there.

Use the plastic calculator on the Earth Day website to fgure out how much plastic your family is using and how much plastic you could stop using. This would be a great task to do with your parents or carers!

Design a poster about looking after the planet and put it up in your window. You could also use the colouring on page 11.

If you can, ask your parents or carers to walk to school or church with you rather than drive their car. Or get out and about on your bikes instead!

Plastic Hunt

There are a few plastic bottles scattered around these pages. Let’s have our own clean-up! Draw a line from each bottle to the bin on the left to help us get rid of them.

We hope that you get stuck in and have a fantastic Earth Day!

Age? 9.

Favourite colour? Green.

Favourite food? Chocolate biscuits!

Favourite sport? Hockey.

Favourite bit of Kids Alive!?

Cool Colourings and Your Space.

Favourite Bible story and why?

The Nativity, because it was the first ever Christmas Day!

Favourite TV programme? Teen Titans.

What do you want to be when you’re older? I want to be an actress!

Pets? None.

Hobbies? Drawing, swimming and video games.

Tell us a joke. Why did the student eat his homework? His teacher told him it would be a piece of cake!

What special skill or talent do you have? Making people laugh!

Tell us something interesting about yourself. I am 11 minutes younger than my twin sister, Esmé.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us? My best friend is Eliza –we’ve been friends since pre-school.

If you’d like to star in our reader profle section we’d love to hear from you! Get a grown-up to send us an email using the address in the purple box below. Then we’ll send you the forms to complete.

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

Cool Colourings

Emily, age 7, has sent us this unbelievably good Football Colouring. You’ve done a fab job, Emily!

This fantastic Children’s Mental Health Week Colouring was sent to us by Martin, age 6. We love how colourful you’ve made all the letters!

EASTER CARD COMPETITION EASTER CARD

Earlier in the year we ran an Easter Card Competition. We published the winning designs in the 30 March issue, but we gave the wrong name for the Under-7s winner. It should have been Gabriella. We’re really sorry, Gabriella! Gabriella’s sister, Leila, was also an age category winner. Congratulations both of you!

UNDER-7S

Cap’N Pete is entering a sea shanty singing competition…

I can’t, Patch. I don’t know how to open the piano.

...The

...So how can I unlock the piano if the keys are inside?!

...And he wants me to learn the piano so I can accompany him.

You’d better get practising then, Pirate Dick.

I’m a bit confused because Cap’n Pete told me that…

piano keys are inside the piano…