Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7285
27 November 2021
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationarmy.org.uk/kidsalive
50p
Celeb rating th e 140th An niversar y of Kids Alive!
© 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
this week...
style and caring g. and an active life Living a healthy , mental and spiritual well-bein cal for your physi
ts f a r C , s n o i t i Trad and Gifts
IN CINEMAS NOW Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationarmy.org.uk KA - p1 - 27 November.indd 1
19/11/2021 13:17
Turn this page upside down to read the answers.
CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Cake. 3 Tree. 7 Mince. 8 Bus. 9 Present. 13 Inn. 14 Roast. 16 Kiss. 17 Bear. MISSING PUZZLE PIECE: A. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE WORDFIT 1 Home. 2 Tyre. 3 Hero. 4 Trip. 5 Echo. New word: Myrrh. PICK OUT PATCH: Page 11. KA! JAM ADVENT CROWN The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it. (John 1:5 Easy-to-Read Version).
KA! JAM lous 6 Marvel s Memory Verse 7 Kiddo in the Middle 8–9 Giggle Stomp Rocket 10 ition Compet ner Colouring Cor 11 ns, 12–13 Traditio ts Crafts and Gif pace 14–15 Your S Patch’s Pals: 16 ers Olive Forruth
4–5
DOWN: 1 Come. 2 Kin. 4 Robin. 5 East. 6 Dessert. 10 Rings. 11 Rink. 12 Star. 15 Ace.
? e d i s n I s ’ What
Delivered to you r door
Subscribe* to
nth
.33 a mo 4 £ r fo ! N WI
joyed reading We hope you’ve en Hey there, readers! e lik to get your Alive! If you would this issue of Kids your home every to Alive! delivered ds Ki of py co n ow guardians to take k your parents or week, why not as ek, Kids Alive! * for you? Every we out a subscription tition, pe m Bible story, a co includes a cartoon al pic to d mic strips an puzzles, jokes, co . les for you to enjoy tic ar d activities an go to or guardians Ask your parents /kids-alive, call om .c to sps-shop tion 1, option 1) 01933 445445 (op ions@satcol.org or email subscript iption. cr bs to set up a su nth sts just £4.33 a mo A subscription* co fun t tha all – 2) £5 ent of olate (or a one-off paym oc ch o tw n the price of for less money tha d this An !). too r hie alt he bars a week (and ar long! t that lasts all ye way, you get a gif
2
offer applies in *This subscription of Ireland, with c bli pu Re d the UK an er 12 months. ov red live 51 copies de t prices apply en fer dif t Please note tha onal orders. ati ern int to Europe and
le Availab ! online
alive y.org.uk/kids salvationarm
EDITOR Justin Reeves DEPUTY EDITOR Cara Mott GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Alicia Begley EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Melita Day-Lewis KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku PROOFREADER Chris Horne Kids Alive! office: 020 7367 4910 Email: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 101 Newington Causeway. London SE1 6BN. Switchboard: 0845 634 0101 Published by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory (cost in the Republic of Ireland: 65c). Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief and Publishing Secretary: Major Mal Davies 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
KA - p2 - 27 November.indd 1
19/11/2021 15:19
IN CINEMAS NOW © 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Imagine being part of a household where every member of the family has been given a special skill or talent, but you’re the only one who doesn’t have one. Well, that’s what life is like for Mirabel, the main character in Encanto. One miraculous day the Mirabel family’s casita (that’s a small home) came to life and granted everyone a special gift – super strength, flowery beauty, effortless perfection, the ability to talk with animals, miraculous healing powers. From that day on, every Mirabel child got to open a door on their fifth birthday to discover their gift. All except Mirabel who received nothing, niente, nada! And to make matters worse, everyone reminds her that she’s not special every day – even when they’re trying to make her feel special. One day, Mirabel realises that the mysterious power that made all this possible is failing and the family is in danger of losing their home. That’s when she decides to step up and do what needs to be done to keep her family safe. Feeling lost and left out in this world of wonder, Mirabel realises it’s time for the ordinary to save the extraordinary. You can see ‘Encanto’ in cinemas now! ‘Encanto’ is rated PG, which means that some scenes might be scary for our younger readers. Make sure you check with your parents or carers before watching this film.
Do you ever feel left out like Mirabel? Maybe you’re a bit different to the rest of your family. Perhaps you feel like your friends have things they’re great at, but you don’t. I’m not brilliant at anything. I’m all right at sport, I’m an OK musician, I can draw a bit and I can write a few sentences that make sense. I’m a nice enough bloke, but I’d never be top of anyone’s party invites list. The thing is, none of that matters, because the person who matters most – God – made me just the way he wants me. He’s given me a unique set of abilities that enable me to be the person he wants me to be. And he’s done the same for you. Even if you feel ordinary, ask God to help you see the gifts he’s given you – he’ll help you to use them to do extraordinary things!
3 KA - p3 - 27 November.indd 1
19/11/2021 16:10
READ THE COMMENT BELOW ABOUT CHOOSING TO LIVE JESUS’ WAY
What Are You Waiting For?
A
re you counting down the days to Christmas? My children have been asking how long it is till Christmas since they went back to school in September. When I was a kid, I would start looking forward to the following Christmas as soon as I’d finished opening that year’s presents. The wait was agony! If waiting a whole year is agony, imagine what it’s like to wait 700 years! Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God’s messenger, Isaiah, shared some amazing news with God’s people. Isaiah told them that one day God would send his Son to Earth to show people the way to live, take the punishment for people’s wrong choices and give everyone the opportunity for a closer relationship with God.
Advent Crown God kept his promise to his people and in John 1:5 we read about John the Baptist talking about Jesus. Rearrange the letters on the Advent crown to see what John said about Jesus.
Answer on Page 2
4
asks Justin Reeves
Isaiah’s message must have been music to the Israelites’ ears. He said that even though life seemed terrible at that time, better days were coming. Someone would arrive to take away their troubles, there would be no more fighting and there would be great celebration. So the Israelites waited and waited and waited! The good news for you is that the wait is over – Jesus is here and now he’s waiting for us! You might have already decided to live life Jesus’ way and that’s great. If you haven’t, I’d encourage you to find out more about Jesus this Advent, then make a choice to follow him and do your best to live the way he showed us. That would make this Christmas the best Christmas ever! What are you waiting for?
1) Het thlig neshis 2) ni het kradsens,
3) dan het kradsens 4) sha ton
5) tafeeded ti.
Advent and Christmas
CHECK OUT YOUR BIBLE – ISAIAH 9:2–7
A New Day is Coming
Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Youth and Children’s Ministries Unit’s Explore It! resource – go to salvationarmy.org.uk/youth-and-children/childrens-resources
5
Steve English
What’s your favourite Bible verse and do you know it off by heart? If so, do you often repeat it to yourself? Reciting Scripture we’ve memorised is a great way of expressing how we feel – all our joy, hopes and concerns. It’s also a great reminder of God’s promises and enormous love for us. That’s why in Deuteronomy 18:11, we’re encouraged to place God’s word in our ‘hearts and minds’. So have a go at learning the Bible verse below… A child will be born to us … He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives For Ever, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (International Children’s Bible)
Tick this box when you’ve memorised the verse This Bible verse makes me feel…
KA! JAM is the cooles t Bible activity club around. As a mem ber you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lo ts of great stuff about being a Christia n. You’ll also receive our mini-mag , Chatterbox, which is filled with jo kes, games and much more. And to to p it off, there are loads of awesome pr izes to be won! To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationarmy.org.u k/ka-jam-sign-up. 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, 101 Newington two first-class stamps Causeway, London SE – to: 1 6BN. Applicants must be be tween 7 and 17 years old Name: to join. Date of birth: Address:
Boy or girl: I, (signature)
6
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.
irthday Happy Bir to You!
Pick Out Patch
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
28 November David Simon – age 9 29 November e 12 Avie-mae Anger – ag e 12 Joseph Trussell – ag 2 December
I love drawing, painting and being creative! head over to page 11 with me for some colouring fun _ Don’t forget your Pens and pencils! but first, See if you can spot this version of me on ANOTHER PAGE IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE.
Matthew Standley – age 12
An Historical Christmas Did You Know?
You’ll often hear Jesus’ birth referred to as the first Christmas, but did you know that Jesus’ birth wasn’t celebrated as a Christian festival till hundreds of years after he was born? It wasn’t until the 9th century (that’s the 800s) that Christmas was widely celebrated in the Church. Even then it wasn’t thought to be as important as Good Friday or Easter.
As we enter the season of Advent and look forward to Christmas we thought we’d share a few Christmas-related facts that you might not know. Even though we celebrate the birth of Jesus on and around 25 December, no one knows exactly when he was born. In fact, according to the Office of National Statistics (who we realise weren’t collecting data back when Jesus was born), 25 and 26 December are typically the days when fewest babies are born!
One famous person who was born on 25 December is British scientist and ‘discoverer of gravity’, Sir Isaac Newton. Among other things, Newton worked out the way the moon orbits Earth. So it’s kind of fitting that on Christmas Day 1968, Apollo 8 became the first spacecraft to orbit the moon.
7 KA - p7 - 20 November.indd 1
19/11/2021 13:52
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
H e h e, he he! What do you call a computer that sings? A-Dell! What do you call a pile of kittens? A meow-ntain!
Wordfit H
1
What time is it when the clock strikes 13? Time to get a new clock!
2
O
3
4
What happened to the dog that swallowed a firefly? It barked with de-light!
5
E
by Neil Locker
MISSING PUZZLE PIECE A
C
8
T
B
D
E
into the Fit the five given words a new l ea grid correctly to rev column. word in the darker pink inserted Some letters have been ity gift. tiv Na to help you. Clue:
ECHO HERO HOME TRIP TYRE
This jigsaw of a house is missing a piece, but there are four pieces left in the box. Find the correct piece and complete the jigsaw.
Answ
ers on P age 2
across: 1 Baked Yuletide treat, Christmas _ _ _ _. 3 Brought indoors and decorated art, Christmas _ _ _ _. 7 Treat left out for Santa, _ _ _ _ _ pie. 8 Passenger vehicle. 9 Gift brought by Santa. 13 There was no room at the _ _ _ for Mary and Joseph. 14 Christmas dinner, traditionally. 16 What it’s traditional to do under mistletoe. 17 Animal such as a grizzly.
down: 1 Christmas carol, ‘O _ _ _ _, All Ye Faithful’. 2 Family. 4 Bird often seen on Christmas cards. 5 Direction from which the wise men came. 6 Sweet course such as Christmas pudding. 10 The Twelve Days of Christmas gift, five gold _ _ _ _ _. 11 Indoor skating venue. 12 Shining object followed by the wise men. 15 Top playing card. by Neil Locker
Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper makes them sneeze!
What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm!
What did the Dalmatian say after lunch? ‘That hit the spot!’
What happened to the man who ate yeast and shoe polish? Every morning he woke with a rise and shine!
E N CA N T O W O R D S E A R C H Find the ‘Encanto’-related words in the grid
MAGICAL HOUSE MIRABEL MADRIGALS UNIQUE GIFTS FAMILY STRENGTH HEALING ORDINARY HOPE DANGER ABUELA ALMA BRUNO ANTONIO COLUMBIA JOURNEY
M B C O R D I N A R Y E A A J T M L E B A R I M D I G B R U N O P H G F R U N I Q U E G I F T S I Q I Y C R W H C A X T G O L S E A F O D M H R A I A Z G N L T E I O E L N E I A U R H C L P N S O H R M X B U O Y E G V T U B L M P Q O U Y T J N I D A N G E R J S H K A M L A A L E U B A E
9
R
©2018 Stomp Rocket D & L Company, LLC
nauts, un. Jump. Stomp! Budding engineers and astro features this one is for you! This week’s competition to way ect perf the two incredible Stomp Rocket toys – keep active and make science fun. g Stomp The first prize up for grabs is the award-winnin 400 feet in Rocket Original. Send rockets soaring up to rockets the after run to the air! You can make it a game p Stom a and see where they land. This set includes rockets. Launcher and three super high-performance Stomp Rocket There’s also flying fun all day and night with ets soar up to Junior Glow. This set of four foam-tipped rock in the dark! glow 100 feet in the air. And the best part? They ction and Learn concepts such as trajectory, force, proje ays. These motion – ideal for days out in the park or holid easy to fun, STEM-inspired products are portable, fast, t! blas a at Wh assemble, with no batteries required. Original and For your opportunity to win a Stomp Rocket tion below Stomp Rocket Junior Glow, answer the ques answer to and email your full name, age, address and Friday by us h reac kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk to – remember en 24 December when the winners will be chos ect box. You to put ‘Stomp Rocket Competition’ in the subj coupon below can also enter by filling in the details on the Kids Alive! ion, and posting it to: Stomp Rocket Competit . 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN
N! I W
Prizes subject to availability
Stomp Rocket is available from amazon.co.uk
How high can Stomp Rocket Junior Glow soar into the air? 50 feet
100 feet
200 feet
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
10 KA - p10 - 27 November.indd 1
Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 19/11/2021 13:58
Nativity Colouring
Address:
Name:
Postcode:
Age:
Christmas is just around the corner! It will soon be time to enjoy some festive fun, but most importantly it’s when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Why not colour in this Nativity scene to remind you of this amazing time? Grab some pens, pencils and paints or stick some stuff on to make a collage. Then email your colourings to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk – make sure you write ‘Nativity 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 fill in your details on the left so we know who you are.
Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 27 November.indd 1
11 19/11/2021 15:32
le and caring ty es lif ve ti ac an d an y th Living a heal and spiritual well-being. l ta en m , al ic ys ph ur yo r fo
s t if G d n a s t f a r C , s n Traditio Why Do We Give Gifts?
Christmas is the time of year when we give presents to family and friends. Maybe you give a gift to your teacher or get a little something for someone at your church. But why? Giving a present to someone is one way of showing you care about them. It brings joy to the person getting the gift which usually makes us feel good too. For Christians, gifts at Christmas represent the gifts that the wise men took with them when they visited Jesus.
Traditions Around the World In the United Kingdom, boys and girls might get presents from Father Christmas. Around the world, he has other names including Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Papa Noël and St Nicholas. In some European countries, on the night of 5 December, children fill their shoes with drawings, carrots, biscuits and other treats and leave them by the fireplace. The next morning the children find their shoes filled with presents from St Nick, his helper Black Pete and their white horse. Other countries, such as Austria, have a legend that a mean creature called Krampus joins their St Nicholas festivities. People in Zambia, Africa, take their presents to church to give to others who don’t have as much as them or people who are in hospital at Christmas. Young people in China have developed a new tradition – to give apples wrapped in pretty coloured paper. The Chinese name for apple (píngguǒ) is similar to the word for Christmas Eve (píng’ān yè). Plus the fruit symbolises good fortune and peace.
In Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, they have a tradition called la ribote where families visit their neighbours throughout Advent and the new year, sing carols together and give them lots of Christmassy food and drinks.
During Puerto Rico’s Navidad period, on 5 January children go outside and fill shoeboxes with grass. The boxes are put under their parents’ and grandparents’ beds. In the morning the boxes contain presents from the three kings, who filled them after their camels happily chomped away at the grass.
12 KA - p12-13 - 27 November.indd 1
19/11/2021 16:09
Christmas Craft DIY Potato Penguin Present Paper 1
You will need:
Brown paper Paper plates (or something to hold the paint) Potatoes – one small, one large Knife Black, white and orange paint Paintbrush A grown-up to help
4
Dip the smaller stamp in the white paint to print the tummies.
Lay out brown paper on the table.
2 3
Carefully cut the potatoes – ask a grown-up to help. Use half a large potato for the body and half a smaller potato for the tummy.
Dip the large potato stamp in the black paint and stamp it all over the brown paper to make the penguin bodies, and leave it to dry.
5
Paint on eyes, orange beaks and feet.
6
Let it dry overnight and use it to wrap your presents!
Festive Food Rice Krispies Square Gifts You will need: 165g Rice Krispies 45g butter 250g mini marshmallows Decorative sprinkles A pack of strawberry laces Large saucepan Spatula Dish Greaseproof paper A grown-up to help
4
When they are mixed together, line the base of a dish with greaseproof paper and pour in the mixture.
KA - p12-13 - 27 November.indd 2
1
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat on the stove.
2
3 5
Once melted, add the marshmallows and keep stirring until they melt into the butter.
Add the Rice Krispies and some sprinkles, and use a spatula to stir them into the melted butter and marshmallows.
Press into the dish until the mixture is nicely pushed down.
6
Once firm, carefully cut into 12 Rice Krispies treats and tie strawberry laces around them like a bow on a present.
13 19/11/2021 15:48
Boscombe’s Deep Sea Mission More than 80 children enjoyed a great time at Boscombe Salvation Army’s Mission Deep Sea Holiday Club. The fun included action songs, messy gam es and crafts, all of which linked to the Bible story for each day, as well as other sea-themed stories. The children really enjoyed listening to the Bible stories which included Moses and the Red Sea, Feeding the 5,000, The Salvation Story (from the birth of Jesus to his death and resurrection), Jonah, and Zacchaeus. The children discovered that even though everyone’s different, God can use each of them to do amazing things. Each day ended with a quiet time when the kids were encouraged to take part in prayer activities. Many of them decided to take the next Some of the Mission Deep Sea step in their faith journey and Holiday Club kids with their leaders. become friends with Jesus.
Get In Touch
We love hearing from our readers and their leaders, so please email your news, colourings, reader profiles and anything else you’d like to share with us to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. We’d especially like to know whether your church or Sunday school is doing something cool during this difficult time. So get in touch to let us know how you’re staying connected!
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 purple box to the left. Then we’ll send you the forms to complete. Birth Date ofAge
Name ch Corps / Chur Favourite food
Favourite sport
r Favourite colou programme Favourite TV ! of KIDS ALIVE Favourite bit story Bible Favourite Why
Hobbies Pets What do you
want to be when
Tell us a joke!
al skill/talent What speci
you’re older
do you have?
sting about thing intere Tell us some
ing else you Is there anyth
yourself?
would like to
tell us?
14 KA - p14-15 - 27 November.indd 1
19/11/2021 15:16
C
Cool s g n i r u o l o C
Doctor, Doctor! illa (age 5) Well done, Prisc g to show for this colourin NHS. support for our
Ca itl i n
Proud To Be Thanks, Grace (age 10) for sharing this colouring of these Proud To Be History Makers.
Age? 9. Favourite colour? Pink. Favourite food? Cheese and pizza. Favourite sport? Cheerleading. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Reader profiles. Favourite Bible story and why? Easter, because Jesus came back to life. Favourite TV programme? Free Rein. What do you want to be when you’re older? Teacher. Pets? Rats called El and Luna. Hobbies? Cheerleading and gymnastics. Tell us a joke. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Interrupting cow! Interrupting cow wh... MOO! What special skill or talent do you have? Cheerleading and gymnastics. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I threw someone in the air in cheerleading. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I have a brother called Jack.
15
KA - p14-15 - 27 November.indd 2
19/11/2021 15:16
What do you mean, Olive?
I think I need to pay more attention to what Brown Owl says, Patch.
Well, last week she was talking about stars…
…And asked us to bring pictures of our favourites.
Here’s what I’ve brought…
…But I think I got the wrong end of the stick. she didn’t mean THIS kind of stars! THE SALVATION ARMY – A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND REGISTERED CHARITY
LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2021. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
Please Recycle Me!