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Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles
Every week, Kids Alive! includes a cartoon Bible story, a competition, puzzles, jokes, comic strips and topical activities and articles for you to enjoy.
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EDITOR Cara Mott
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.
Super League Basketball Trophy Finals
WSunday 26 January
hat do you know about basketball? You might have heard of some famous American basketball players, such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Perhaps you’ve even watched a !lm about basketball, such as A New Legacy! However, did you know that basketball is also a sport that’s played in the United Kingdom?
If you did know that fact, then you might already know that the Super League Basketball Trophy Finals are tomorrow (26 January)! Around 9,000 fans will get to watch two thrilling games of basketball at the Utilita Arena Birmingham. In between the two games, fans will also get to watch a slam-dunk contest!
In the Women’s Final, the Oaklands Wolves and Caledonia Gladiators will battle it out to take home the Betty Codona Trophy. After that thrilling game, the Men’s Final will see the Bristol Flyers play against the Newcastle Eagles. The Newcastle Eagles are a top-notch team, so the Bristol Flyers will need to bring their A game. Both games will be sure to have fans on the edge of their seats, as some of the UK’s best basketball players put on a spectacular show. So whether you’re a basketball superfan or you’re just interested in checking out a couple of games for the !rst time, you’re not going to want to miss the Super League Trophy Finals!
You can watch the Super League Basketball Trophy Finals for free on a sports website called DAZN. The Women’s Final starts at 12pm and the Men’s Final starts at 3.30pm.
To watch the games in person, you can purchase tickets at superleaguebasketballm.co.uk/2025trophy
Basketball is so action-packed! So many points are scored and the game swings from one end of the court to the other so quickly. My life feels as action-packed as a basketball game sometimes. There’s so much to do that I feel like I’m running from one place to another without time for a break. However, making time for rest is important. God rested after creating our world and said that we should rest too. Do you have time every week when you’re able to rest and relax?
It’s important to fnd time to rest our minds and bodies, but we should also make time to rest with God. This means spending time with him, letting go of things that are causing us stress and trusting God to take care of us. This week, fnd time to take a break from all your other activities and spend some quiet time resting with God.
Super League Basketball Images
Read the comment below about being a disciple
Share the Love
’ve been watching a great TV programme called . I love it because it tells Jesus’ story but from the point of view of the disciples. We get to see what their lives were like before and how wonderfully they changed when Jesus called them to follow him.
Jesus came to Earth to show the world what God is really like. God is love (it says so in 1 John 4:8) and he wants to share his love with everyone. Unfortunately sin (breaking God’s rules) broke the relationship between God and people. But when Jesus defeated the Devil, he destroyed the power of sin and !xed our relationship with God.
Jesus showed people that God loves them unconditionally. There were many people who’d been rejected because they were sick or they’d
done something wrong. While others left them out, Jesus spent time with them, healed them and showed them they could live better lives because God loved them.
In The Chosen we see that Jesus’ disciples were ordinary people who were far from perfect. But Jesus taught them what it means to be part of God’s Kingdom – loving God and loving others. The more the disciples spent time with Jesus, the better they became at loving others too.
A disciple is anyone who’s decided to follow Jesus. So if you’ve made a decision to trust Jesus and live your life his way, you’re a disciple too! And that means that Jesus has called you to share his love with others too.
Heartfelt Acts
Write or draw in the hearts below three things that you can do this week to show God’s love to others.
says Ibukun Baku
Check out your Bible –Matthew 4:1–11, 18–22
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.
Jeremiah the Prophet
Isaiah was not the only prophet to live in Judah before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. There was also a prophet called Jeremiah. He was called to follow God as a young man. Jeremiah was scared about being a prophet, but he trusted in God anyway!
Jeremiah told the people of Judah that because they had turned away from God, they would be taken into exile. Again and again, over many years, Jeremiah gave this message. He told it in different ways to help them to understand it, even using items such as dirty belts and jars of clay to explain what God was going to do to Judah!
The people of Judah tried to hurt Jeremiah many times, but God was always with him. After the people of Judah were captured by the Babylonians, Jeremiah stayed behind. He continued to tell the few people who remained that they needed to follow God.
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.
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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!
D for Denmark
Denmark is a country in the Nordic region of Europe. It’s made up of lots of islands and although it’s a small country, plenty of people live there! Denmark has the world’s oldest ag. In fact, its ag turned 800 in 2019! It also has two of the oldest amusement parks in the world – Bakken and Tivoli Gardens.
Tigers look fang-tastic with their orange coat and black stripes! Tigers’ stripes help them to camou age, which is one of the reasons why they’re such great predators. However, if you were to shave a tiger, their stripes wouldn’t disappear. That’s because tigers have striped skin too! Isn’t that a roar-some fact?
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.
We live in a country with lots of laws, and those laws help to keep us safe. However, there’s a law in the United Kingdom that’s a little bit odd. The Salmon Act 1986 makes it illegal to walk around with a salmon while looking suspicious! So if you’re ever carrying a salmon around with you, just make sure that you don’t look too !shy!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
He he, he he!
super league finals
Find the Super League Basketball Trophy Finals-related words in the grid A C E B D F G H PAGE PUZZLE PAGE PUZZLE
Hehe,hehe! gladiators caledonia slam dunk free throw
jump shot crossover
Why can’t basketball players go on holiday?
They aren’t allowed to travel!
Why can’t you play basketball in the jungle?
There are too many cheetahs!
Why was Cinderella such a poor basketball player? Because her coach was a pumpkin!
Why did the referee skid on the court?
The basketball players dribbled everywhere!
Explore this week’s ‘Kids Alive!’ to work out which pages these images are taken from
What animal is best at basketball?
A score-pion!
What do you call a pig who never passes? A ball hog!
What do you call an unbelievable story about a basketball player? A tall tale!
Crossword Clues
Crossword Clues across:
3 Motor vehicle. 5 Limb of a tree. 6 Snooker player’s rod. 7 Animal ridden by a cowboy. 8 Spring month. 11 Lock opener. 12 Dairy farm animals. 13 Another name for moose.
down:
1 Genuine. 2 Measure equal to one twelfth of a foot. 3 Blacken or scorch. 4 Cure. 6 Alter. 9 Large stone. 10 Behind schedule or overdue. 11 Pottery oven.
by Neil Locker
K O R E P C
Each six-letter answer is written clockwise around the clue number. Use the clues to help you work out the correct words. A new word will be revealed in the dark green boxes. We’ve given you the !rst letter of each word to help you. Clue: Sweet liquid from owers.
Africana Activity Book Competition
What’s something that you need to have when you read an issue of Kids Alive!? Every issue is packed full of activities such as wordsearches and crosswords, so we think that you probably need a few colouring pencils. If you win this week’s prize then you’ll need to keep your colouring pencils out, because there will be so many activities for you to complete! Africana Activity Book is a book that will help you to discover the wonders of Africa. You’ll even learn how to say ‘hello’ in !ve African languages! There are more than 25 games, quizzes and puzzles for you to enjoy–all of which will help you to understand Africa a little bit better. Plus, Africana Activity Book comes with an enormous poster and 25 spectacular stickers! For your opportunity to win your own copy of Africana Activity Book, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Africana Activity Book Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 21 February when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by !lling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Africana Activity Book Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Which word will Africana Activity Book teach you to say in five languages?
Name:
Address:
Please Hello Goodbye
WRITE A POEM
It’s Burns Night today (25 January)! This is a night to celebrate a superb Scottish poet called Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns. Burns wrote some very famous poems, such as ‘Auld Lang Syne’, which many people still sing on New Year’s Eve! To celebrate Burns Night, use the space below to write your very own poem. If you’d like to share your poem with other readers, email your poem to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Make sure you write ‘Write a Poem’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively you can post your poem 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 poem we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Age:
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Big Garden Birdwatch
House sparrows, blue tits and starlings! These are just three of the many species of birds that spend time in the United Kingdom. If you’re interested in !nding out more about the birds that can be spotted in the UK, then we think that you’ll love taking part in Big Garden Birdwatch!
Bird Spotting
Big Garden Birdwatch started yesterday (24 January) and runs until Sunday (26 January). During Big Garden Birdwatch, people from all around the UK will be spotting birds. This is so that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) can get an idea about how different birds are doing. There’s a reason why the word big is in its name, because around 600,000 people will be taking part!
Time to Count!
You might be wondering what it looks like to take part in Big Garden Birdwatch, so here’s a step-by-step guide!
Keep a separate count of each species that you see. For example, rather than just writing down that you saw ten birds you might write down that you saw six blackbirds and four sparrows! 1 2 3 4 5
Ask your parents or carers to help you to make an account at rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch. Once you register, you’ll get a guide that will help you with your birdwatching!
Choose an hour before the end of Big Garden Birdwatch that you can spend birdwatching. It can be any hour of the day, so you could even birdwatch while you eat your breakfast! Choose a patch where you’re going to watch birds. It could be your garden, but if you don’t have a garden it could be a local park. You don’t have to birdwatch on your own, so why not ask friends or family to join you?
During your hour, record the number of birds that land in your patch! It’s important that you don’t count birds that y over your patch – make sure that they land somewhere in your patch before you count them!
Let the RSPB know what you spotted by submitting your count on their website. 6
What’s the Point?
Big Garden Birdwatch takes place during the winter every single year, so it gives us a brilliant idea as to how well the birds in the UK are doing.
In 2024 there were 38 million less birds recorded than in the !rst Birdwatch in 1979! It’s really important that the RSPB knows how many birds there are this year so that they can do everything they can to help them.
Birdwatching Guide
During Big Garden Birdwatch, you might spot…
House sparrows! These are the most common birds to spot. They live in groups, have short beaks and make lots of noise!
Starlings! These are very sociable birds, so you might see them ying through the sky in enormous groups. Starlings have a fab skill –they can copy the songs of other birds!
Blue tits! These are very colourful birds. Their feathers are blue, yellow, green and white. There are around 15 million blue tits spending their winter in the UK.
Birdwatching
With Patch
Patch has decided that he wants to go birdwatching later today, but he wants to use a really cool pair of binoculars to spot birds high in the sky! Add some colour to the design on the left to create a pair of binoculars for Patch to use.
Get birdwatching this Big Garden Birdwatch!
Felicity, Age 7
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 !
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
Sediong
Age?
Favourite colour? Green and blue. Favourite food? Chips or jollof rice.
Favourite sport? Football.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? Patch’s Pals.
Favourite Bible story and why? Daniel in the lions’ den, because God delivered Daniel from being the lions’ food.
Favourite TV programme? Mikey and JJ.
What do you want to be when you’re older? A footballer and a PE teacher.
Pets? A dog named Max. Hobbies? Football and Lego. Tell us a joke. Why did the cow pack her bags? Because she was moo-ving!
What special skill or talent do you have? Building two Lego car sets in one day. Tell us something interesting about yourself. At school my class (year three) have beaten every class in soccer. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I love drawing.
MY WHEELS ARE A BIT STIFF, ROBBIE. CAN YOU TAKE A LOOK?
DID YOU BUY SOME SPARE SPRINGS LIKE ROBBIE TOLD YOU TO LAST AUTUMN?
LET’S SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, ROBOT.
AH, THAT’S WHAT’S WRONG. ONE OF YOUR WHEEL SPRINGS HAS WORN OUT.
I DID, PATCH. I WAS AT THE GARDEN CENTRE…
...AND THEY WERE SELLING SPRING PLANT Seeds, SO I BOUGHT A PACKET.
