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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.
Blue Peter is back!
Blue Peter keeps on doing the impossible… This year it turns 67 years old, which makes it as old as some of our readers’ grandparents (or even great-grandparents). In fact, Blue Peter is the world’s longest-running television programme for kids. Yet somehow it still manages to be one of the coolest shows on the planet! Last night (5 September), Blue Peter returned to our screens, and we think this might just be the coolest it’s ever been! For a start, the show’s introduced its next presenter – Hacker T Dog! Hacker has been popping up in CBBC programmes for a very long time. Now this cheeky and clever pup has joined the Blue Peter crew, where he’ll be working alongside Abby, Joel, Shini and Henry the pet dog!
If you watched last night’s episode, then you’ll have seen Hacker give us a tour of his hometown – Wigan. Abby, Joel, Shini and Hacker will be going on plenty more awesome adventures this series, and they’ll continue to bring us viewers along for the ride. We’ll see them take on Royal Marines training, help out with puffin conservation and even go sea kayaking. This year, the world’s oldest kids’ show looks like it’s also going to be the world’s coolest – so make sure you don’t miss out on watching it!
You can watch ‘Blue Peter’ every Friday at 5pm on CBBC, BBC Two, Sign Zone and BBC iPlayer (which is where you can also catch up on last night’s episode)
My daughter recently applied for her first Blue Peter badge (read all about these badges on page 11). To apply, she had to create something. She put loads of effort in to make sure what she made was amazing. Then we did the application – sending a picture of her creation and telling them what it was and why Blue Peter. Since she sent her application, she’s been patiently waiting for her badge, but it’s not here yet!
There are lots of things in life that take loads of hard work (and plenty of waiting!), but isn’t it great that we don’t have to work hard to earn God’s love? You don’t need to fill out a long application that lists all of your achievements, and there’s no waiting involved! God’s love is a free gift for everyone, no matter who we are or what we’ve done – and it’s available to all of you right now!
That’s Not Fair!
Iwonder if you’ve ever felt like something wasn’t fair. Has there been a time when you felt like you weren’t treated fairly, or maybe you can remember seeing someone else being treated unfairly? When I was younger I would say, ‘That’s not fair!’ a lot. Especially when I felt like my little brother was being treated better than me. It made me feel annoyed and frustrated.
I sometimes wonder if God looks at things in the world and says, ‘That’s not fair!’ What do you think?
When I read the Bible, there are lots of examples of people (sometimes they’re called prophets) who are sharing messages from God about justice and fairness. One prophet who talked about justice was a man called Amos,
Read the comment below about a prophet called Amos
by Hayley Bailey
and he describes it as an ever-flowing river. What words would you use to describe a river? Can you think of any?
Mine would be ‘powerful’ and ‘never-ending’. Perhaps we can think of justice like that too. It’s powerful when we make sure people are treated fairly, because it makes a big difference to their lives. We know that God loves people, so the fairness we show shouldn’t just be a one-off, it should keep going. When we treat others fairly, we are reflecting God’s love and goodness into the world.
Things might still make us feel annoyed and frustrated, especially if they don’t change quickly, but we know that we can talk to God about it because he loves and cares for us.
River of Justice
Use the river to write or draw places where you want to see God bringing fairness and justice. It could be places you know and spend time in, or it might be somewhere else in the world.
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.
A Message for Everyone
After Jesus’ followers spread out from Jerusalem, one thing became very clear – the message of Jesus was for absolutely everyone! The number of Jesus’ followers (who people began to call Christians) grew and grew and … you guessed it, grew!
In Samaria, a Christian called Philip met an important man from Ethiopia. He told the man about Jesus, and then he became a Christian too. Meanwhile, Peter had a vision which showed that anyone could be a Christian, even if they weren’t Jewish. Then he became friends with a Roman centurion!
Plenty of people continued to try to hurt Jesus’ followers, but even some of these people became Christians! A Jewish man called Saul hated Christians, until he had a vision of Jesus. Then he became a Christian himself – with an important mission from God to tell people who weren’t Jewish all about Jesus!
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:
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.
Address:
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!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS.
When I Grow Up
What do you want to be when you grow up? To help you learn about a job that you might be interested in, we’ve asked a grown-up to tell us all about what they do for work. It’s time to meet a…
Hello, readers, 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.
Kilt and Dressmaker!
Hi, I’m Hannah. I’m a kilt and dressmaker, and I live way up in the north of the Scottish Highlands. I make traditional kilts and modern, fun dresses in any tartan (which are special patterns). This is so that people can learn about their family and clan history. When I’m not making kilts and dresses, I love to raise ducklings! For me, a normal day of work starts by dropping my kids off at school. Then I come back home and quickly check my emails. Then I finally start to sew! I check what orders I have and then begin to either stitch a kilt or cut a dress. The best thing about my job is that every kilt is different, so no item I make is ever the same. It’s really amazing to create something which will be treasured by the person who wears it and will mean something to their family. They might even wear it for their wedding and other big life events! If you’d like to have a job like mine when you’re a grown-up, you should ask your parents or carers if you can get involved at craft clubs. You should also start hand sewing – it’s good to start this at an early age!
To see more of Hannah’s spectacular kilts and dresses, check out thistleandcloth.com
What did the cheese say when it looked in the mirror? ‘Halloumi!’
What’s blue and smells like red paint? Blue paint!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he! He he, he he!
by Neil Locker
across:
Crossword Clues
1 In good health. 3 Starchy food you might eat with a curry. 6 Fairy tale, Beauty and the _ _ _ _ _. 7 Burnt remains. 8 Story opening, ‘Once _ _ _ _ a time.’ 10 Excursion or outing. 12 Winnie-the-Pooh’s young energetic friend. 13 Have the same opinion or concur. 15 Part of body between shoulders and head. 16 Where you go to sleep. down:
1 Shortest month of the year. 2 Hot drink. 3 Old Testament book after Judges. 4 Furniture item you sit on. 5 Person who looks after sheep. 9 Gas forming a protective layer in the atmosphere. 11 Unlit or not light. 14 Polish with a cloth or wipe.
Crossword Clues
Answers on Page 2
Why did the children eat their homework?
Because their teacher told them it was a piece of cake!
What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo? A pouch potato!
What did the cow use to do its homework? A cow-culator! Where do hamsters come from? Hamsterdam!
What should you give a feverish dog? Mustard because it goes well with a hot dog!
Which animal is the strongest?
A snail because it carries its house on its back!
What animal makes the best pet?
A cat because it’s purr-fect!
character swallowed by a fish.
Linkword
by Neil Locker
Have you heard of lip balm before?
Lip balm is something that you might put on your lips if they’re sore to help them to feel better, and to protect them from the Sun. Let’s be honest –although lip balm is super useful, it’s not the most exciting thing in the world. But imagine that one day you went to open a lip balm container and found something else inside –a ridiculously cute soft toy! With a Stuffs set, that’s exactly what you’ll discover! Hidden inside each Stuffs lip balm container, there’s an adorable soft toy. When you pop the container open, you’ll discover one of eight irresistibly cuddly characters, such as Bubz the Bubble Tea and Mac the Macaron. Each character also comes paired with a matching lip balm – which means that a Stuffs set isn’t just adorable, but is also really useful too!
For your opportunity to win your own Stuffs soft toy, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Stuffs Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 3 October when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Stuffs Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Name:
Address:
Blue Peter Badges
Since the new series of Blue Peter started yesterday (5 September), there’s no better time than now to learn about all of the different Blue Peter badges you can collect. These badges are special awards that are given to kids if they apply for one online!
Blue Badge
These badges are given out to kids who have sent in stories, poems or fascinating letters. They’re also sent to kids who’ve crafted some amazing creations or have taken some fab photos.
Green Badge
Do you enjoy looking after our planet? If you do, then you could earn a green badge by telling Blue Peter about something that you’ve done to help to protect the environment.
Sport Badge
Book Badge
This is a badge for kids who love reading. If you write to Blue Peter to tell them about a book you’ve read and draw something from that book, then you’ll earn a book badge.
Music Badge
A music badge (which was designed by Ed Sheeran!) is given to any kid who shows a real love for music. This might look like taking part in a musical show, or even by learning a new instrument.
Orange Badge
Have you tried out a new sport recently? Whichever sport you’ve tried, you can earn a sport badge by telling the Blue Peter crew all about your experience.
These badges are given to the winners and runners-up of any Blue Peter competition. So if you take part in a competition, you’ve got a shot at getting this badge!
Gold Badge
This very special badge is given to kids who have done something extraordinary, such as acting selflessly to help someone. You can apply for this badge yourself, or you could suggest another kid who should win it!
You can find out even more about ‘Blue Peter’ badges and how you can apply for one by
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
National Read a Book Day
When was the last time you read a book just for the fun of it? Whether your answer is last week or so long ago that you can’t remember, there’s no better day to get reading than this one (6 September).
That’s because it’s National Read a Book Day, which is a day all about … well, reading a book. That might look like reading quietly on your own or reading out loud with your parents or carers. You might even want to listen to an audiobook.
You can pick any book that interests you. However, if you’re looking for some suggestions, then why not take a trip to the Kids Alive!
The Kids Alive! Library
Welcome to the Kids Alive! Library (no, it’s not a real library – you’ll have to use your imagination). Ignore the dinosaur librarian, the shark swimming next to the underwater bookshelf and the princess writing a book with fairy dust ink – we’ve got five exciting books to tell you about!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
This novel, written by a chap called CS Lewis, follows four siblings on an amazing adventure! Set during the Second World War, the kids step into a wardrobe and find themselves in a spectacular winter wonderland called Narnia. This is the beginning of a story that will introduce you to a naughty witch, a talking lion called Aslan and even Father Christmas!
Charlotte’s Web
How do you feel about spiders? If you find spiders so creepy (and crawly) that they give you the shivers, this book might change your mind.
Charlotte’s Web, written by EB White, follows a pig called Wilbur after he moves to a new farm. Wilbur finds it hard to make friends, until he meets a spider called Charlotte. When Charlotte finds out that Wilbur is in danger, she decides to do all that she can to protect him.
Boy, Everywhere
What would it be like to have to leave your home? In this book written by AM Dassu, a 13-year-old boy called Sami lives in a city in Syria called Damascus. Then, when a tragedy happens, Sami’s family leave their home and begin a journey across Europe.
This is a tricky book (so we’d only recommend it to readers over the age of nine). However, it’s also a really important one – so why not give it a shot?
Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear
This book by Nguyen Thi Thu Trang and Jeet Zdung is unlike any other in the Kids Alive! Library, because it’s a graphic novel (which is a comic strip that’s as long as an ordinary book).
It follows a girl called Chang, who decides that she wants to help wild animals. So Chang becomes an expert on the rainforest nearby and begins to look after a sun bear called Sorya. Then Chang decides to go on a quest to return Sorya to the wild!
The Bible
Here’s another book that’s nothing like the rest! The Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, and it tells us everything we need to know about God – and about Jesus’ rescue mission to save the world!
You don’t need to start reading the Bible at the beginning. We’d actually recommend starting with a book called Luke, which is in the second part of the Bible called the New Testament. This will tell you all about the life of Jesus.
If reading the Bible sounds like a giant challenge, why not try reading ‘The Action Bible’, which is a big graphic novel packed full of Bible stories?
Have a fantastic National Read a Book Day!
Cool Colou ri ngs
This amazing artwork was created by Scarlett, aged 9, to celebrate The Salvation Army’s birthday. We love the rainbow colours most!
Grace, aged 7, sent us this World Ocean Day Colouring. The turtle looks so happy swimming with his little stripy fish pals!
You might be thinking, ‘Spring? It’s nearly autumn!’ But we couldn’t not publish this colouring from Radina, aged 3 – it’s beautiful!
Yandiswa, aged 10, sent this ice cream design and it looks absolutely delicious! We’d definitely be ordering one!
Another wonderful World Ocean Day Colouring – this one is from Lydia, aged 10. It’s so neatly coloured – look at the extra details she’s added to the turtle’s flippers!
Yandiswa’s and Kevin’s colourings are making my mouth water. Which flavour would you choose? It’s a tough choice as they both look scrumptious!
H a p p y B i r t h d a y t o y o u !
To see your name and birthday printed in a future issue of KA! email your full name and date of birth to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
8 September
Zuzia Pieczynska – age 12
G e t I n T o u c h !
Check out this awesome ice cream design from Kevin, aged 4. Are those little cherries on top? Yummy!
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.