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Grab your dancing shoes, because International Dance Day is a worldwide celebration of dance and it’s taking place today (29 April). It’s celebrated on this day because it’s the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, who was the creator of modern ballet. As well as celebrating how awesome dance is, it’s also an opportunity to bring together people from different countries or cultures to learn about other dance styles. Dance is incredibly good for you. It makes your heart and lungs healthier, improves muscle tone and strength and increases co-ordination, agility, exibility and balance. Plus dancing is great fun –it’s perfect for making new friends and it can help improve con dence. The main event for the organisers of International Dance Day is happening in Shanghai, China from 24–30 April. There will be a Gala Night Celebration available to watch at international-dance-day.org where you can see dancers from China, New Zealand and the South Korea. You don’t have to be in China to join in the fun. There’s no better time to try different types of dance. Whether it’s ballet, tap, street, Irish, Highland, ballroom, Bollywood or something else – there are so many different styles to learn. Have a look on YouTube to see what these styles look like. If one of them inspires you, ask your parents or carers to see if there’s a class near you or search for lessons on YouTube. It’s always great to learn a new skill so get your body moving!
I’m no dancer, but I enjoy trying at parties – at least I can put my feet down in time to the rhythm. My kind of dancing is what’s known as dad dancing. I have a friend who’s an awesome dancer. Recently I found myself in a situation where I had to copy his moves. While he looked like a Strictly pro, I just looked silly and everyone enjoyed a good chuckle at my expense.
In the Bible, 2 Samuel 6:14–22 tells us how King David danced and praised God. No one laughed at him, but his wife did tell him off for making a fool of himself by dancing in front of everyone. You’ve got to give it to David, though, he pretty much told his wife that he would praise God however he wanted … even if he did look silly! How will you praise God this week?
Last week, I did something I’ve never done before – I spent a week away from my children. I was really sad to leave my girls, and my daughters were sad too. So, I reminded them that they still had their mum to look after them, as always, and I promised that I’d be back home in a week’s time. That gave them something to look forward to. I wonder how Jesus’ friends felt when he told them he was going away. I expect they felt very sad. So, in a similar way to how I reassured my daughters – by promising I’d be back and reminding them their mum would look after them – Jesus reassured his disciples too.
by Justin ReevesSure, he didn’t put a time frame on it like I did. But Jesus did promise to send the Holy Spirit to be with them and help them, and he promised that he’d be back one day. His followers had two things to look forward to.
Sometimes being a Christian can feel tricky. However, we have Jesus’ promise that his Holy Spirit is with us to help us. And we have the promise of Jesus’ return to look forward to. He might not return during our time on Earth, but we know that by choosing to live his way, we will one day get to enjoy seeing his return. Now, that really is something to look forward to.
In the Bible there are incredible stories of young people choosing to trust God. In return, God used them to do extraordinary things. As you read about these young people, be inspired because Jesus is calling you to make a difference too.
Daniel was taken as a prisoner to Babylon to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. As part of his training, Daniel was encouraged to eat the same type of food as the king. However, he chose to stay true to his Jewish beliefs and convinced a guard to give him fruit, vegetables and water instead. Ten days later, when the guard examined him, Daniel looked healthier and better fed than those who ate the royal food.
Daniel was encouraged to t in with the Babylonian’s way of life. However, he chose to put God rst, even though it made him stand out. God saw Daniel’s faith and protected and blessed him.
What feels more important to you: being like Jesus or tting in with the people around you? Read Romans 12:2 (International Children’s Bible) and let it guide you each time you have a choice to make.
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.
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To join KA! JAM just ll in the application form and send it – along with two rst-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
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Date of birth:
Postcode: 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!
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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.
29 April
Olivia Redman – age 6
1 May
30 April
Abigail Greenhalgh – age 11
Charlotte Kinsey – age 7
3 May
Timothy Nyaga – age 11
5 May
2 May
Lily Atkinson – age 10
4 May
William Corbett – age 12
Alexander Gill – age 12
Tayla Nivar Garcia – age 7
I’ve got my wellies on ready to get in my garden and plant some flowers! See if you can spot this version of me on ANOTHER PAGE IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE.
The cosmos or universe is so enormous and stupendous it’s mind-boggling! Here are some facts about space that are … well, cosmic!
Neptune is the last planet in our solar system. It’s about 4.5 billion kilometres away from the Sun – that’s more than 30 times further away from the Sun than the Earth is! Neptune is so far from the Sun that it takes 165 Earth years to orbit once around the Sun! The planet is dark, cold and very windy. It has huge, swirling storms and the average temperature is -201°C.
Neptune is a giant gas planet with a mass that’s 17 times greater than Earth. It has an Earth-sized solid centre covered in a thick fog of water, ammonia and methane. Methane gives Neptune the same blue colour as Uranus. Neptune has six rings, but they’re very hard to see.
haha,hehe!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
He he, he he!
hehe!
Find the dance-related words in the grid ballet contemporary charleston modern tap ballroom latin
salsa break-dancing acro
capoeira folk jazz
How many dance teachers does it take to change a light bulb?
Five! Six! Seven! Eight!
Why is it so easy to talk to ballet dancers? They always get right to the pointe!
Why should you never dance with horses?
Because they have two left feet!
What did the man who couldn’t stop dancing get diagnosed with?
Saturday Night Fever!
What’s a tortilla’s favourite dance? The salsa!
What’s the most popular dance at the Coca-Cola factory? The can-can!
I was born in Kent to a Hungarian father and Spanish mother. I am a British ballroom and Latin dancer. I was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing.
In 2021, I became a judge. Can you guess who I am?
What’s a pig’s favourite ballet? Swine Lake!
by Neil Locker
across:
3 Joint at the top of your leg. 5 Kin.
6 Go brown in the sun. 7 Sight or smell, for example. 8 Meat from pig. 11 Small cake. 12 Limb of tree. 13 Foot digit.
down:
1 Area of grass in the garden. 2 Fail to hit. 3 Religious song. 4 Dove-like bird. 6 Pill. 9 Three-dimensional square. 10 Tidy. 11 Male rabbit.
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.
across:
1 Young bird.
2 Price or worth.
3 Bird’s perch.
down:
1 Lid or cap.
2 Ice house.
3 Got on one’s knees.
If you love challenging your building skills then you probably already know about K’NEX. In case you don’t, K’NEX is a construction system that uses rods and connector pieces. You can put them together to make all kinds of different things. There are also special sets, including the Cyborg Creatures Building Set. The K’NEX Cyborg Creatures Building Set takes you on a journey to the wild side as you build fantastic futuristic sci- creatures. The set contains 196 pieces, including new darker-coloured K’NEX rods and connector tubes that are specially designed to connect together. There are 15 different cyborg creatures to build, including an elephant, scorpion, gorilla and more. Or you can get creative and design your own –there’s no end to the build and play opportunities!
For your opportunity to win a K’NEX Cyborg Creatures Building Set, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘K’NEX Cyborg Creatures Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 26 May when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by lling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: K’NEX Cyborg Creatures Competition, Kids Alive! 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN.
Name:
Address: Postcode: Age:
Are you excited for International Dance Day? To celebrate this groovy day why don’t you add some colour to the brilliant ballroom dancers below? Dancers often have colourful or sparkly out ts, so get creative! Once you’ve completed your colouring, share your artwork with other readers by emailing your colourings to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Dancers 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! 101 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BN. 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:
Address:
Postcode:
Age:
Living
Are you ready for a week of gardening fun? From 1–7 May the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) will be celebrating gardening across the United Kingdom as it’s National Gardening Week.
The theme for this year is ‘create your Coronation container’ to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, who loves planting and growing. The King is known as a champion of the environment and supporter of gardening, so it’s a great way to mark the beginning of his reign.
Planting and growing things is obviously good for the environment, but research has also proved that it’s good for our physical health and mental well-being too. Some studies have shown that gardening can help reduce stress, depression and anxiety. It’s also a great way to learn about the environment and the importance of sustainability (that means looking after the planet to make sure there will be enough resources for future generations).
It’s really simple to get involved and create your own colourful Coronation container. You can create your display in whatever space you have available. It could be a window box, a hanging basket or even an old pair of wellies! Old, chipped mugs or broken pans would also work too.
Delphinium
If you don’t have a garden, you could ask grandparents or other friends or family whether you can create a container with them in their garden. Or how about creating one at school or church? Ask your teachers or church leaders!
The key to creating your Coronation container is adding plenty of colour – it’s a celebration after all! Your family can add instant colour to a container by buying small, seasonal plants from a shop. Many supermarkets even sell them.
If you want to honour the new King and Queen Consort, King Charles’s favourite ower is the delphinium and Queen Camilla loves Alchemilla mollis – a type of crocus known as lady’s mantle. So you could plant those in your container!
a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Put some potting compost at the bottom of the container.
Here are some top tips from the RHS for planting a container...
Choose plants that are different heights. This will make your container look more interesting.
Line your container with porous material to stop compost escaping (porous means something with tiny holes in, so water and air can pass through).
Lay out the plant pots in your container so you can see what they’ll look like. Move things around until you think they look perfect.
Once you’re happy, take the plants out of the pots and place them back in the container. Fill the gaps with more potting compost and press it rmly down with your ngers.
Plant whatever you think looks fab. Let your imagination run wild!
Ask your parents, carers, teachers or church leaders to send photos of your Coronation container to ‘kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk’ –we’d love to see your creations!
Water your plants regularly to keep them healthy.
If creating your Coronation container gives you the gardening bug, you can keep planting. Start from scratch by purchasing some seeds to grow – whether it’s owers, fruit or vegetables, sow the seeds and get growing. Sun owers aren’t too expensive and are easy to grow. As well as looking bright and beautiful they’re also great for attracting bees.
The RHS also has a Campaign for School Gardening. Teachers can register your school online and receive a free welcome pack containing seeds and growing resources. All the information they need is at rhs.org.uk/get-involved/schools
For more information about National Gardening Week, check out rhs.org.uk/get-involved/national-gardening-week
Age? 22.
Favourite colour? Lilac.
Favourite food? Chicken wings.
Favourite sport? Cheerleading.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? Crossword.
Favourite Bible story and why?
The shepherd who lost his sheep, because it teaches you to focus on the little things and take care of all sections of your life.
Favourite TV programme? Gavin and Stacey.
What do you want to be when you’re older? I would love to have a job performing in shows around the world. Pets? None.
Hobbies? Cheerleading, dancing and singing.
Tell us a joke. What is Beethoven’s favourite fruit? Ba, na, na, naaaa!
What special skill or talent do you have? I can do a backflip on the floor.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I went to study musical theatre for three years at a musical theatre college.
You might have noticed that the photo on the left is from someone that’s a little bit older than our usual pro les. That’s because we want to tell you more about some of the people behind Right Tracks – some new upbeat, popstyle songs from The Salvation Army. You can check out Caitlin’s super singing skills by listening to ‘I Can Talk to You’, ‘I Say Thank You’ and ‘One Planet’. Listen to all the Right Tracks tunes by visiting salvationarmy.org.uk/right-tracks or searching for them on streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube.
This pukka penguin colouring was sent to us by Lilka, age 8. She completed it to celebrate Penguin Awareness Day. We love the shiny gold pen you’ve used – it gives the picture extra sparkle.
There was lots of fun to be had at an Easter Treasure Hunt held at Cardiff Ely Salvation Army on Easter Saturday. Twenty children attended and, together with their families, looked for clues in neighbouring streets and in the Salvation Army hall. As well as the treasure hunt, there were also hot dogs to enjoy and Easter eggs as prizes. Families were also invited to attend Messy Church the following day and they were told about the Kids Club that will be relaunched soon.
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army Kaylin, Micah, Poppy, Rufaro, Belfast Sydenham; Josh, Ruby, Shirebrook.
Age? 8.
Favourite colour? Blue. Favourite food? Pizza. Favourite sport? Football.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? All of it!
Favourite Bible story and why? Noah, because it’s about a man with the same name as me.
Favourite TV programme? Teen Titans.
What do you want to be when you’re older? A spy. Pets? Two mice and two budgies. Hobbies? Playing football in my local church’s club and camping.
Tell us a joke. What should you do if an astronaut is hurt? Give him a little space!
What special skill or talent do you have? I’m learning the mandolin.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. My budgie Bernie talks! My pet mice are called Ted and Chris-mouse (can you guess when I got them?).
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I like adventures!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PERCY?
I’M peeling THESE POTATOES FOR MY LUNCH.
I’M HAVING CHIPS.
BUT WHY ARE YOUR EYES WATERING? I THOUGHT IT’s PEELING ONIONS THAT MAKES YOUR EYES WATER.
POTATOES DO TOO, PATCH…
…WHEN YOU DROP A BIG ONE ON YOUR FOOT!
CHUCKLE!