Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7530
12 September 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
British Science Week
WIN!
this week...
Jesus Heals
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© 2026 Aardman Animations Limited.
Sh e a e Th u e B n the Sh ttom e o ast of B y s s Mo
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 12 September.indd 1
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What’s Inside?
Turn this page upside down to read the answers
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Shaun the Sheep and Ed’s Bit
DOWN: 1 Tall. 2 Ring. 3 Blue. 4 Blonde. 6 Greece. 9 Rome. 10 Hand. 11 Tree. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Bib. 5 Daniel. 6 Gel. 7 Green. 8 Earth. 11 Tee. 12 Monkey. 13 Eve.
KA! JAM
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Proverbially Speaking
EGG TIMER CHALLENGE 1 Hamster. 2 Stream. 3 Smart. 4 Tram. 5 Mat. 6 Meat. 7 Meant. 8 Magnet. 9 Garment.
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Patch’s Problem
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
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Giftie Badge Maker Competition
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Simple Science
GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE SUPER SUM!: 7 + 7 – 5 ÷ 3 x 4 = 12. PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 14.
12–13 KA! World Love our comic? Check out Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Saturday and Monday at 7.30–8am and every Sunday at 9–9.30am.
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles. Or listen any time you like with the podcast, which is available on our website and all major audio platforms.
e Availabl online!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
14–15 Your Space 16
Patch’s Pals Robbie’s Robot
Subscribe* to
12 September 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
and caring and an active lifestyle Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. for your physical,
British Science Week
WIN!
this week...
Jesus Heals
Sh ee Th au e B n the Sh tom e o
© 2026 Aardman Animations Limited.
4–5
Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7530
p
Puzzle Answers
ast of B Mossy
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
for £4.33 a month
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. *A subscription costs just £4.33 a month (or a one-off payment of £52). This subscription offer applies in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with 51 copies delivered over 12 months. Please note that different prices apply to Europe and international orders.
EDITOR Cara Mott DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Elliott 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 Catherine and William Booth INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Andrew Stone 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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Shaun the Sheep The Beast of Mossy Bottom
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© 2026 Aardman Animations Limited.
here have been so many spectacular scientists throughout history that it would be impossible to list them all! Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Isaac Newton – these are just a few of the many brilliant scientists who have made unbelievable discoveries. However, there’s one baa-nanas inventor who we definitely wouldn’t include in our list of the world’s best scientists – Shaun the Sheep! When the farmer of Mossy Bottom Farm accidentally destroys a pumpkin patch, Shaun is determined to fix the damage. Shaun might not have a mind that’s quite as bright as Galileo Galilei’s, and he might be a bit fluffier than Ada Lovelace – but he believes that he has the science skills required to save the day! However, Shaun’s science experiments rapidly go very (very) wrong – and two terrible things happen! First, the farmer goes missing, and no one knows where he’s gone. Second, a wild, frightening beast is discovered roaming the woods of Mossingham! Is the beast the result of Shaun’s disastrous experiments? And will Shaun be able to find the missing farmer? To find out the answers to these You can watch ‘Shaun the woolly … we mean, really baa-rilliant questions, Sheep: The Beast of Mossy check out Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom’ in cinemas from Bottom in cinemas! Friday 18 September
I got a really cool phone call from my sister-in-law recently. She rang to tell me they had some new family members to introduce me to … 14 sheep! My daughters were so excited and can’t wait to go and visit. I was excited too, but I kept thinking, ‘That’s a lot of sheep to look after!’ All this talk of sheep reminds me that in the Bible Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd and all of us as his sheep. That’s not because we’re woolly and live in a field! A good shepherd will always look after their sheep, and that’s how Jesus feels about us. Jesus loves us so much that he even gave his life for us! Jesus is always with us, and we can trust him to care for us. How incredible is it to know that you have the very best shepherd looking out for you?
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H
Read the comment to the right about bringing friends to Jesus
Faithful Friends
ave you ever played the game where you isplit into pairs and one person wears a blindfold, then the other person has to use words to guide them through an obstacle course? Because the person with the blindfold can’t see, they’re completely reliant on their partner’s instructions to help them find their way through the course. When I was reading this week’s Bible cartoon this game popped into my head. The paralysed man couldn’t get to Jesus – he was completely Read the comment reliant on the help of his friends. When they got below about how the to the house and it was far too crowded, cananother show way pals didn’t give up. Theywe found kindness to to get into that house – through theothers roof! What fantastic friends! They cared so much about their friend that they were determined to find a way for him to see Jesus. That’s the kind of friend I hope I am. I’ve never carried a friend to a rooftop to meet Jesus, but I did invite a school friend to come to church with me when I was a kid. They loved it so much that they came every week after that and joined the junior choir! Have you ever asked a friend to come to church with you? It’s a great way to help them to learn more about Jesus. You could also pray for them or show them Jesus’ love by being a good friend – one that listens, encourages and cares for them, just like Jesus does for us. The friends in this week’s Bible story were full of determination to get their pal to Jesus. How can you show that same determination with the people you know?
says Cara Mott
Prayer Pals Use the space below to write a prayer for one of your friends. It could be someone you hope will get to know Jesus better.
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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
04/09/2026 10:54
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Check out your Bible – Mark 2:1-12
Following Jesus Jesus Heals
5
Steve English
Proverbially Speaking top tips from proverbs
Top Tip 19d with
be concerne It is dangerous to u trust k of you, but if yo what others thin safe. the Lord, you are Proverbs 29:25 ation) (Good News Transl
. .. n i Jo
STEVE ENGLISH
Knowing the right thing to do is often a lot easier than actually doing it. That’s why King Solomon wrote the Bible book of Proverbs. It’s filled with hundreds of tips on how to live a godly life. So if you would like to live your life Jesus’ way, see if you can put this week’s top tip into action.
Action!
Being who you ar e can sometimes feel a bit scary, especial ly when it feels lik e you’re different from ever yone else. This w ee k, try not to worry about wha t other people thin k – just be yourself! When you stay true to w hat you believe and put yo ur gifts and talent s into action, you’ll make a differ ence in the world around you.
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 fill in the application form and send it – along with two first-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Name:
Date of birth:
Address: Postcode: Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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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 Salvation Army and that it is not a free subscription to Kids Alive!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS. 04/09/2026 11:04
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To n g u e Tw is t e r s
Patch’s ? Problem... ?
See if you can say this terrifically tough tongue twister 10 times!
ree Thirty-three thieves, thirty-th thieves, thirty-three thieves
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HELLO, READERS, I’VE LOST A VERY IMPORTANT OBJECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ISSUE. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIND IT? I HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.
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r e d n o W d l r o W
the globe there are magnificent things Our world is pretty awesome! All around jet and travel the world with us! to see. So jump in our imaginary jumbo
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls might not be the biggest waterfall in the world, but it sure is impressive. Niagara Falls are on the border of Canada and the USA. In fact, there are three waterfalls there – they are the Bridal Veil Falls, the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. It’s the Canadian Horseshoe Falls that are really impressive. At peak times enough water thunders over the side to fill one million bathtubs … every minute! All that water doesn’t go to waste – the energy created provides power for nearby areas. There are lots of amazing stories about Niagara. A man named Charles Blondin walked across the Falls on a tightrope several times, once carrying a man on his back! Then, in 1960 a boy fell over the Falls after a boating accident and survived! Wow!
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Ho h ! o ho h
X
SUPER SUM!÷ + ÷ + ? 7 ? 5 X 7 X + = 12 ÷ ? ? 4 3 + ÷ X
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
H e h e, h e h e!
add, subtract, Replace the question marks with an e the sum divide or multiply symbol to complet
o, H o h a, ha h ! e he h
What do muddy sheep do? ath! They take a baaa
What’s a pumpkin’s favourite sport? Squash!
How do sheep fall asleep? By counting humans!
Why don’t cows get sick? They have herd immunity!
The answers to the clues in this puz zle are anagrams of the answer immedia tely above or below, plus or minus one letter. The first one is filled in to give you a start.
h a m s
t
e
r
1 Small rodent pet
Clues
2 small river 3 well-dressed Egg Timer 4 passenger vehicle Challenge 5 rug 6 beef, for example 7 Past tense of mean 8 object that attracts some metals 9 article of clothing
8
by Neil Locker
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
H e h e, h e h e!
B
H o h o, ho ho!
Crossword Clues
Ha h a, h a h a, ha ha!
ers Answ age 2 on P
Why did the farmer buy a brown cow? Becau se he wanted H e h e, choco ! milk! h e h elate
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
by Neil Locker
Which farm animal keeps track of the time? A watch dog!
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What do you get when you cross a sheep and a cow? An animal in a baaaaaad moooood!
across:
Crossword Clues
3 Baby’s mealtime clothes protector. 5 Old Testament character thrown into a lions’ den. 6 Hair-fixing preparation. 7 Traffic light colour. 8 Our planet. 11 Golfer’s peg. 12 Primate with a long tail. 13 First woman in the Bible.
down: 1 Above average height, for example. 2 Circle. 3 Colour of the sky. 4 Fair or pale yellow hair. 6 European country, capital Athens. 9 Capital city of Italy. 10 End part of a person’s arm. 11 Sycamore, for example.
shaun t th he s sh heep WORDSEARCH Find the ‘Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom’-related words in the grid
shaun farmer timmy pumpkin patch woods experiments wild beast mossingham bitzer vet influencer timmy’s mum shopkeeper pizza boy
s h o p k e e p e r m p i mw c d s h a u n U S n y o r e m r a f mm t f O o S q z y b p j s n l b d w s p d k t n y e u a s t O i i c b v mm e z o r i n n i h e m I n z d c p m t g w t i r c I f a b z m z h y T e e p t h e j k y l a b p r c z r y x w v s p m x h u t s a e b d l i w e
9
W
Badge Maker Competition
hen was the last time you wore a badge? On your birthday, you might have discovered a badge pinned to the front of a card. After doing particularly well at school, you might have been given a badge as a reward. Wearing a badge can feel really amazing, which is why we’re very excited for this week’s competition! The Giftie Badge Maker is a DIY badge-making kit. It comes with 50 badges, which you can then choose from to make your very own badge! All you need to do is draw or print your own design and then press it into the badge you’ve selected. You’ll then have a finished badge, which you can wear or gift to a pal! For the opportunity to win your own Giftie Badge Maker, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Giftie Badge Maker Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 9 October when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Giftie Badge Maker Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
How many badges come with the Giftie Badge Maker? 5 15 50 Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 04/09/2026 11:16
ICE FISHING Have you ever been fishing before? In this simple science experiment, we want you to pretend that a piece of string is a fishing rod. Instead of trying to catch fish, you’ll be trying to catch ice cubes!
WHAT YOU NEED Six ice cubes Tray or container Water String Salt Grown-up to help
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METHOD 1. Pour water into your tray until it’s around halfway full. Then add six ice cubes into your tray – the water should be deep enough that the ice cubes are floating. 2. Lay one long piece of string over all of the ice cubes. The string should be touching the surface of the cubes. 3. Sprinkle a little bit of salt over each of the ice cubes, covering the little bit of string that’s on top of each one. 4. Wait for one minute before following the next step! 5. Carefully pick up the string. You should have caught some – if not all – of the ice cubes!
WHAT’S THE POINT?
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When water reaches the temperature of 0°C, it freezes into ice. However, when salt is mixed with water, it requires the water to be even colder to freeze!
5
By putting salt on ice in our experiment, we caused the ice to begin to melt. This is because the ice was no longer cold enough to stay frozen. Then the ice began to freeze again, only this time it froze around the string – trapping the string inside! When it’s so cold outside that roads or pathways might become icy, people will often sprinkle salt on the ground. This makes it harder for the ground to freeze over.
Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 12 September.indd 1
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lifestyle, and caring ve ti ac d an y th al he a Living tual well-being iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
British Science Festival 2026 If you’ve read page 3 of this week’s issue, then you’ll know that Shaun the Sheep is trying his hand (or hoof) at being a scientist. Although his experiments cause serious trouble, Shaun is right about one thing – anyone can be a scientist (although there definitely aren’t any sheep scientists in the real world)!
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? Science Explained
Has someone ever asked you a question that you just didn’t know the answer to? In our universe, there are a ridiculous number of questions about how things work – and science is all about trying to find answers to those questions! This can help scientists to make positive changes to the world.
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For example, scientists who try to figure out how diseases work can use their discoveries to create treatments. From studying and experimenting, scientists have also been able to come up with some fab inventions and do some amazing things – such as go into space!
Sharing Knowledge If scientists kept everything they learned to themselves, then we wouldn’t have half the inventions that we have right now! That’s why events such as the British Science Festival 2026 are so brilliant – they give scientists the opportunity to share what they’ve learned! The British Science Festival takes place in a different city in the UK every year, and it’s been taking place for many years. In fact, the first festival was held in York in 1831. That’s six years before the start of the reign of Queen Victoria!
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Superb Southampton This year’s festival is being hosted by the University of Southampton, and it begins on Wednesday 16 September. Over the course of five days, there’ll be around 100 free events, exhibitions and performances to celebrate everything that’s brilliant about science!
There are so many awesome topics to learn about, such as deep-sea sharks, the history of ocean exploration, protecting the climate and AI! Plus, there are some truly weird and wonderful things taking place – including a performance from a group of singing scientists and the opportunity to meet a robot who goes to church! To find out more about the many events taking place this year, check out britishsciencefestival.org/event-guide
Science at Home For many of our readers, we know that it might be tricky to get to Southampton. However, we think that you should still take the opportunity to celebrate science this week! On page 11, we’ve provided you with some instructions for an excellent experiment you could try at home. Once you’ve given that experiment a go, you could also… Learn about some of the world’s most famous scientists who made incredible discoveries by heading to bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/articles/z43mbdm. Make your own volcano! Although your volcano won’t shoot lava, it will look like it’s actually erupting. You can find this experiment at sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/how-to-make-a-volcano. Try out as many experiments as you can in one week. To find some awesome experiments that are worth giving a go, check out kids.nationalgeographic.com/science. Read a science fiction story, such as The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Any story that explores how science can have an impact on the world is known as science fiction!
Your Turn Is there a scientist who particularly interests you? Research that scientist, learn as much as you possibly can about them – and then write or draw about them on a piece of paper! Once your creation is finished, share it with any of your pals who read Kids Alive! and ask to see what they’ve come up with. Then you’ll all be learning from one another, which is exactly what the British Science Festival is all about!
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Cool Colourings Emily, aged 10, has coloured this Care for Creation Colouring so beautifully.
Ma is ie
Rose, aged 4, sent us this wonderful Wimbledon Colouring. The rainbow balls are so adora-ball!
Age? 8. Favourite colour? Pink. Favourite food? Ramen. Favourite sport? Gymnastics. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Creative Corner. Favourite Bible story and why? Easter Sunday, because I was born on Easter Sunday. Favourite TV programme? Strictly Come Dancing . What do you want to be when you’re older? A singer. Pets? None. Hobbies? Learning Spanish on Duolingo, gymnastics, crafting, reading books. Tell us a joke. Why are pirates called pirates? Because they arrrrgh! What special skill or talent do you have? I’m good at learning languages. I am learning French at school and Spanish at home. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I was born on April Fools’ Day! Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I had an amazing family holiday in Florida this summer!
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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This colourful cheerleader is from Billie, aged 5. The outfit is really fantastic!
n being a Well done o ian, Arthur! mega music it to hear We can’t wa next cornet about your e! performanc
Amazing Arthur!
Arthur, aged 8, played the cornet in public for the first time earlier this year when he performed at the Salvation Army church he goes to. Now Arthur has played a cornet solo again, this time at his school’s gala evening. Everyone said that he played brilliantly – well done, Arthur!
Maidstone Celebrates
The young people from Maidstone Salvation Army and their leaders had a fantastic Sunday celebrating all the wonderful activities that happen at their church. The theme of the celebration was ‘Under Construction’, to remind everyone that their church is under construction by God – with Jesus as the cornerstone and the Holy Spirit helping. Great fun was had wearing yellow hard hats, goggles and hi-vis vests as people built churches with towers from Lego and Duplo. The Salvation Army hall was also decorated to look like a building site, with cones, signs, yellow and black striped tape, bits of wood and tools. The Sunday Tots group sang ‘Building up the Temple’, and all the kids enjoyed teaching everyone the song, ‘The Rock’. All the young people also received a book to help them stand strong. Celebrations continued when the Paddleboarding Church met for a very hot afternoon in Mote Park. Thankfully there was lots of splashing and ice creams to cool down!
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i think i’ve learned to speak a new language without realising it, patch.
how is that possible, Robot?
i don’t know, but i was helping robbie with his geography homework...
...and he asked me what the capital of the usa is.
I had a guess at new york, but he just laughed...
...and told me i was talking nonsense.
THE SALVATION ARMY – A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND REGISTERED CHARITY
is nonsense really a language?
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2026. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO LOCAL INFO
Please Recycle Me! 04/09/2026 11:05