Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7399
24 FEBRUARY 2024
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
and caring an active lifestyle Living a healthy and tal and spiritual well-being. for your physical, men
this week...
Launch into Leap Day Sportimage Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
this week...
Nature and Prayer
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What’s Inside?
Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers FIVE X FIVE ACROSS: 1 Spain. 2 Going. 3 Roost. DOWN: 1 Sugar. 2 Amigo. 3 Night. DOWN: 1 Ladybird. 2 Pie. 3 Mime. 4 Clock. 5 Teenager. 9 Order. 11 Asia. 14 Ice. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Lap. 3 Mock. 6 Dream. 7 One. 8 Book. 10 Skin. 12 Rod. 13 Swing. 15 Area. 16 Ear. THERE’S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR! Jürgen Klopp. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE PICK OUT PATCH: Page 7. BIBLE BRAINTEASERS: 1A. 2B. 3B. 4C. 5A.
Love our comic? Check out
Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Sunday at 9–9.30am
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Carabao Cup and Ed’s Bit
4–5
KA! JAM
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Bible Brainteasers
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Kiddo
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
10
Majorette Competition
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Easter Card Competition
12–13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space 16
Patch’s Pals Percy the Penguin
Subscribe* to
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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.
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your Sunday started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles
e Availabl online!
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EDITOR Cara Mott DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin 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
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
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.
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Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
he eyes of the footballing world will be on north-west London tomorrow (25 February), because it’s time for the final of the English Football League Cup. Also known as the Carabao Cup, this competition has had plenty of memorable moments and shock results over the years. This season, it’s Pochettino’s Chelsea and Klopp’s Liverpool that have fought their way through the rounds to the final. Chelsea managed to bounce back from a 1-0 first leg loss in their semi-final against Middlesbrough, smashing six goals past them in the second leg at Stamford Bridge. While Liverpool had quite a battle to get past Fulham and secure their place on the hallowed Wembley turf. With Klopp leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, he’ll be hoping to add as much silverware as possible to Liverpool’s trophy cabinet. However, winning this cup could also give a much-needed boost to a Chelsea team that has been struggling this season. These two teams went head-to-head in the 2022 final of the same competition. On that day it was Liverpool who took home the trophy after beating the Blues during a penalty shoot-out, but who will get to lift the cup this time? Coverage of the Carabao Cup Final will be on Sky Sports – kick off is at 3pm
There’s a bit of a divide in my house when it comes to football. That’s because my husband supports Chelsea, whereas I support Arsenal. Thankfully we’ve both agreed to be kind to each other about this. We try to support each other’s teams (when they’re not playing each other!) and have promised not to rub it in if the other team is playing a bit rubbish. We decided to behave like this because it feels bad enough when your football team loses, so we don’t want each other to feel even worse! This is also how Jesus wants us all to behave in our everyday interactions with the people we meet. In the Bible Jesus tells us that we should treat others how we would want to be treated. So as you go about your week, think about how you’re treating those around you and make sure you’re showing plenty of kindness.
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Who Helps You?
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his week’s Bible cartoon is about Psalm 121. A psalm is like a poem and this one was written by David, who was King of Israel. The first part says, ‘I look up to the hills! But where does my help come from?’ (International Children’s Bible.) Who helps you? Maybe your parents or carers help you by cooking food for you and your teachers help you to learn new things. There are also doctors and nurses who look after us when we’re poorly and police officers and firefighters whose job it is to help keep us safe. The hills mentioned in Psalm 121 are the ones around the city of Jerusalem where David lived. He was looking at the spectacular surroundings and asking the maker of such beautiful things for help. He knew he could trust God with his problems – that’s why he also says in the psalm that God will always watch over us and protect us. Looking at God’s creation is a great way to connect with God and remember how powerful he is. If he can create all the awesome things we see around us, then he can definitely help and support us through anything life throws at us. This week, why don’t you spend some time praying in nature? Explore God’s creation as you talk to him about everything that’s happening in your life. It could be problems you’re facing or something you want to thank him for. Give it a try!
Read the comment to the left about spending time in nature with God
by Cara Mott
I Look Up To The… King David looked at the hills as an example of why he could trust God. Use the space below to draw something from nature that helps you remember to trust in God’s greatness.
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Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore It! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it
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Check out your Bible – Psalm 121
Hopeful Creation Care Nature and Prayer
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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 What was the first miracle Jesus
performed? A Turning water into wine B Turning apples into cakes C Turning honey into sweets
2 When Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem he was welcomed by crowds doing what? A Waving flags CLUE B Waving palm branches C Holding up lanterns John 12:12–13
CLUE John 2:9
3 What body part of the disciples did
?
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did Priscilla and Aquila invite 4 Who into their home?
Jesus wash at the Last Supper? A Hands CLUE B Feet John 13:5 C Head
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A Timothy B Barnabas C Apollos
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CLUE Acts 18:24–26
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A Go and make disciples B Live your best life C Eat, sleep and pray
CLUE
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Matthew 28:19
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5 What were Jesus’ final instructions to his followers?
ANSWERS ON PAGE 2
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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.
15/02/2024 11:50
Pick Out Patch
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
24 February Josephine Still – age 7
2 5 Februar y – age 1 2 Ariana Reed age 9 Noah Mayo – 27 February Kathryn Inez Morgan
Nikita Wilson-Ash –
– age 14
age 14 William Thompson – age 13
A B
2024 Is a leap year! I’m going to use my extra day wisely and explore my local woods looking for minibeasts! See if you can spot this version of me on a 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.
Do you think square A or square B is a darker grey? Unbelievably the two squares are identical! Your brain get s confused because it expects the green cylinder to cast a shadow. That me ans your brain is trying to adjust things to make up for the shadow.
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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!
carabao cup WORDSEARCH Find the football-related words in the grid
chelsea liverpool pochettino klopp jota palmer jackson elliott caicedo endo penalty free kick goal final wembley trophy Why are footballers such logical people? They know how to use their head!
Why do footballers struggle to eat their sandwiches? They think they can’t use their hands!
What is harder to catch the faster you run? Your breath! Why did the football player cry on their birthday? They got a red card! What do you call someone who stands in the goal and stops the ball? Annette!
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w q o n i t t e h c o p e z c h e l s e a w l d m h x o b q l a n i f j Ho ho, b t d f t h p b v t c hogho! l nHauha,k c i k e e r f b e l haaha,p f g r h i o d t ha ha! y a y z a p a j n p k t k o k j o l h t b h l o l g i o g o m p o y o i y t l a n e p e d j p l j a c k s o n m r s p l c a i c e d o r s z c e Can you dribble He he, around Van Dijk? he he! It’s virgilly impossible!
I was born in Stuttgart, Germany. I used to play for Mainz 05 and became their manager in 2001. I became my current team’s manager in 2015. We won the Champions League Final in 2019. We won the Premier League title in 2020. Can you guess who I am?
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
Answ on P
ers
age
2
Crossword Crossword Clues Clues
across:
Crossword Clues
1 Circuit of running track. 3 Make fun of. 6 Have visions and thoughts in your sleep. 7 The smallest whole number. 8 Paperback, for example. 10 Body’s outer covering. 12 Angler’s pole. 13 Playground ride. 15 Region. 16 Organ used for hearing.
down: 1 Insect that’s red with black spots. 2 Pastry-covered meal. 3 Act wordlessly. 4 Timepiece that may be digital. 5 Youngster over twelve years of age. 9 Command. 11 Largest continent. 14 Frozen water.
by Neil Locker
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.
3
across: 1 European country. 2 Departing. 3 Bird’s perch.
I
2
3
N
2
1
down: 1 Sweet foodstuff. 2 Spanish ‘friend’. 3 Period of darkness.
O by Neil Locker
oNion gas HAGGIIS IMP TO HAGG TOUR
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COMPETITION
oy cars have been popular with kids for many, many years – plenty of you have probably zoomed them across floors in your homes. They’ve even been popular with plenty of grown-ups over the years too! In fact, Majorette have been making toy cars for 60 years! To celebrate Majorette’s 60th anniversary they’ve brought out a special anniversary edition gift set! Take a journey through automobile history as this limited edition set includes five classic vehicles from different eras. There are cars from 1968, 1975, 1985, 1990 and 2015. There are also two exclusive vehicles – DS 21 and Datsun 260 Z. Each toy car has rotating wheels, suspension and opening doors or bonnet, so they’re perfect for playing with and building up your cool car collection. For your opportunity to win a Majorette Anniversary Edition Five Pieces Gift Box, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Majorette Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 22 March when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Majorette Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
Which of these years is featured in the Majorette 60th anniversary limited edition set? 1968 Name:
1978
1988
________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________ ____________ ___________________________ Postcode: _______________
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
15/02/2024 12:29
EASTER CARD COMPETITION Are you eggs-cited about Easter yet? Easter weekend is just five weeks away, and the Kids Alive! team are counting down the days to this very special occasion. As part of Kids Alive!’s Easter celebrations, we’re supporting an Easter e-card competition run by The Salvation Army. There are plenty of options for card designs. Let your imagination bloom with a spring flower-themed card, celeb rate our furry and fluffy friends by including baby bunnies, chicks or lambs, or create something that celebrates Jesus for this special weekend. Make this Easter eggs-tra special with your colourful masterpieces!
Design your own Easter card and send it to the address below for your opportunity to win a £100 Entertainer toy shop voucher! Not only that, we will feature the winning design inside the 30 March issue of Kids Alive! and add it to The Salvation Army’s card collection on the Don’t Send Me A Card e-card website. How cool is that?
The different age categories for the competition are: under-7s, 7 to 9-year-olds, 10 to 12-year-olds and over-12s.
fiRST PRIZE
WIN!
1 X £100 ENTERTAINER VOUCHER
SECOND PRIZES
2 X £50 ENTERTAINER VOUCHER
AGE CATEGORY PRIZES WIN!
4 X £20 ENTERTAINER VOUCHER
For your opportunity to win a voucher for The Entertainer, send your design, full name, age, address and your parent’s or carer’s email address to Freepost RTLT-UCTS-ZAKJ, Donor Services, 3rd Floor, The Salvation Army, UK Territorial Headquarters, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. You can use your own postage stamps if you’d like to save The Salvation Army money. The competition closes on Friday 15 March. Please don’t fold your design, use an A4 piece of paper and make sure you send it in an A4 envelope. Please note, if you're sending in designs from a school, please remember to include age or age group.
For more info and full terms and conditions please visit salvationarmy.org.uk/fundraise-us/card-competition or scan the QR code to the right to get started and to make an optional donation
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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
Launch into Leap Day Did you know there’s an extra day happening this week? Usually February is a very short month with just 28 days. However, every four years there’s an extra day – 29 February. These years are known as leap years and 29 February is called leap day.
Around the Sun The reason we have this extra day is because of how long it takes Earth to orbit the Sun. There are 365 days in a year, but it actually takes Earth around 365 days and 6 hours to go all the way around. So every four years, those 24 hours are added up and an extra day is slotted in.
Without this extra day our seasons would slowly get out of sync and eventually after a long time Christmas Day in the UK would end up in summer! Adding 29 February makes sure the calendar stays in tune with the Sun.
2ebr9uary Roman Beginnings F The February leap day was started by a famous Roman called Julius Caesar. Caesar got annoyed with the system the Romans were using so he reordered the calendar and added an extra day in February.
Pope Gregory
However, Caesar’s maths was a little off. He calculated that a year lasted 365.25 days, but it was actually 11 minutes shorter than he worked out. So Pope Gregory XIII decided there would be no leap days during centurial years that could not be divided by 400 (such as 1700, 1800 and 1900). Nice and simple, eh?
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Marry Me? One leap day tradition is believed to come from Ireland. St Brigid complained to St Patrick that it wasn’t fair that women had to wait for men to ask them to get married. So St Patrick decided that leap day would be a day when women could ask men. Thankfully, anyone can propose nowadays and they don’t have to wait for a special day to do it!
Leaplings Many people around the world were born on 29 February and they’re sometimes known as leaplings. Although leaplings technically only have a birthday every four years, most celebrate on the day before or after in non-leap years.
Use That Time Now you know why leap days happen, but what will you do with that extra day? Here are some ideas we think are cool.
Learn a new skill. How about taking up knitting or learning to juggle? Or you could test yourself to solve a Rubik’s cube or perfect a new recipe.
Plant 29 flowers.
Start a leap day tradition with your family, such as having a film night, special meal or going for a walk to look at the night sky.
Spend 29 minutes doing whatever you love most.
Make a time capsule. Fill up a box with things that represent you and your family and the things you love at the moment. Hide it somewhere to look at next leap day and see how much things have changed.
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If you’d like to star in our reader profile section we’d love to hear from you! Get a grown-up to send us an email using the address in the green box below. Then we’ll send you the forms to complete. Birth Date ofAge
Name ch Corps / Chur
t Favourite spor
Favourite food ur Favourite colo programme Favourite TV E! of KIDS ALIV Favourite bit story Favourite Bible Why
Hobbies Pets want What do you
to be when
r you’re olde
Tell us a joke!
you have? skill/talent do What special
Le a h
Tell us som
t yourself? esting abou ething inter
hing else you Is there anyt
tell would like to
us?
Age? 7. Favourite colour? Blue. Favourite food? Pasta. Favourite sport? Swimming. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Your Space. Favourite Bible story and why? Nativity, because baby Jesus was born. Favourite TV programme? Bluey. What do you want to be when you’re older? Teacher. Pets? Not really. Hobbies? Reading. Tell us a joke. Why did the cow cross the road? To go to the Moon! What special skill or talent do you have? Maths skill. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I have two brothers – Noah and Zeke.
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Is there anything else you would like to tell us? No!
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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
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Cool Colourings The new year might feel like a long time ago now, but here’s a fabulous Happy New Year Colouring from Lola, age 8. She’s done a brilliant job – it’s bursting with colour!
This Happy New Year Colouring was sent to us by Esme, age 8. We love the outline effect she’s given the kids. Very creative!
Joey, age 10, sent us this fantastic Football Colouring. The kit has been coloured so neatly – great work!
This Football Colouring was completed by Chris, age 11. We love the choice of colours for the kit and the cool crossbar!
Tessie, age 14, has coloured in this adorable Cat Colouring. Check out the amazing detail on the cat’s scarf – it’s awesome!
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Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2024. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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Please Recycle Me!
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