Expressions

Forests on the beaches

Sea erosion is a threat to the coastal regions of Sri Lanka. There has been flooding in various places along the coast as a result of sea erosion. Flooding in turn has caused heavy damage to life and property.

The Forest Department has found a solution to sea erosion. It is the creation of small forests on the beaches. As a first step, the Department has grown different types of trees along the beaches, to create a buffer for sea erosion.

As a result there are several mini forests growing on the beaches today. These trees not only help keep the sand away from the land, but also prevent sea water from beating into the land area.

But it is not easy to grow plants on sandy soil so only a few plants cultivated on an experimental basis have survived. The rest have withered and died. The Department had done more experiments in their nurseries in an attempt to find the reasons. They had used more mature plants for the second trial and this time around the plants had taken root.

Problems however, were not over for the Department with grazing animals and small boys becoming a threat. But, the officers had not given up. They had overcome this new threat too and their efforts had paid off. The forest beach project has now become a success.

Fathima Kathija Rifky, Grade 5, Al-Sharia HGI School.
 

Fossil fuels

Coal, crude oil and natural gas are all fossil fuels. They have been formed over millions of years from the remains of trees, plants and various dead creatures.

There are two different kinds of energy resources, they are renewable and non-renewable.

Fossil fuels such as coal and gas are non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form. But renewable resources such as wind and solar are good resources of energy, because they take only a short period of time to form.

Coal is found in China, India, USA, South Africa and Russia. As it lies in the deep underground, deep mines have to be sunk to obtain it.

Coal is widely used to generate electricity. When coal is burnt it produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulphur dioxide.

Sulphur dioxide can lead to acid rain, and pollute the atmosphere and cause much destruction.

Crude oil is found mostly in Arabian countries, the North Sea and the US. It is in great demand and used in our homes, factories and for transport.Natural gas is another valuable resource of non-renewable energy. It is found mostly in Canada, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. It too is used in our homes.

Natural gas is also very important to generate electricity. This fossil fuel is used for various purposes, especially for cooking, in our country.If there isn’t enough oxygen the gas burns with a yellow flame, producing carbon monoxide and soot (carbon). Domestic gas appliances should be serviced regularly. If they are not, they may release poisonous carbon monoxide gas.

Wimani Omendrika Babilathenna, Grade 6C, Colombo International School, Kandy.
 

What development means...

Have you ever given some thought to the meaning of the word development? The dictionary describes development as “growth or advancement.” Some of the elements of development are: increase in income of people, opportunity to secure a good job, improvement in educational level, enjoying basic human rights, improvement in health and nutrition and conservation of environment and natural resources.

Our country is a developing country. Our government is trying to reduce illiteracy. It has opened many schools so that more and more people can receive an education.

An educated person can help in the development of the country. Besides education, health is also very important. The government has also opened up many new hospitals so that people’s health is safeguarded. Our country has also made great progress in the fields of agriculture and industry, but a lot remains to be done.

There has been tremendous development in the field of science and technology over the years. Colour televisions, mobile phones, washing machines and many hi-tec equipment have made our lives very comfortable today.

However, development does not mean we should destroy our natural resources. We should take care of our natural resources, at all cost.

If we use our resources wisely, we can help in the development of our country while conserving these resources for future generations. When we strive for development, we should always ensure that we don’t leave a trail of destruction.

S. Krishnie Gayathri, Grade 4, Cambridge International School, Chilaw.
 

A trip to Thalawila

I went on a trip to Thalawila with my family and my uncle’s family by van. On the way we saw paddy fields, rivers, chena cultivations, salterns and many different kinds of trees such as cashew trees, guava trees and palmyrah trees.

We reached Thalawila at about 10.30 a.m. We saw lots of cows and goats on the road. First we went to the Thalawila Church and worshipped there. It is devoted to St. Anne.

The Thalawila Church is one of the oldest churches in Sri Lanka. It is 600 years old and a very important church. Then we went to the beach. We bathed in the sea and enjoyed ourselves very much. After the sea bath we visited another church. Here we saw guava sellers and toy sellers.

We left Thalawila about 4.00 p.m. On our way home we bathed in the Deduru Oya. We reached home at 8.30 p.m.

It was a very interesting trip and we enjoyed it very much.

Dilini Sonali Silva, Grade 7A, Holy Cross College, Gampaha.
 

My least favourite chore

My least favourite chore in the house is washing my father’s van. During the first couple of days, it sure was fun, but gradually it turned out to be a boring task. Although it is not an interesting job of work, I have to do it, as my father says, “If you want to learn driving, you must learn to wash the vehicle first.” Well, so I do it.

First of all, I clean the inside of the van. I brush the seats, wash the carpets and put them out to dry in the sun.

Usually I use a shampoo to wash the body of the van. When cleaning mirrors and glasses, I have to be very careful. The worst part is washing the wheels. I rub the wheels thoroughly with a brush to remove the mud and the dirt they have gathered from various places.

Finally, I take a clean dry cloth and wipe the body swiftly. After doing all these tough work, I sit on the lawn and relax. I discipline myself to do this dull and uninteresting job, because I want to learn driving and be a good driver in the future. I need to learn to maintain the vehicle I intend to drive someday.

Kusal Weraniyagoda, Grade 8, Leeds International School, Galle.
 

My beautiful country

My country Sri Lanka is the most beautiful island in the Indian Ocean. Sometimes it is called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Sri Jayawardanapura, Kotte is the administrative capital of the country. Colombo is the commercial capital. There are nine provinces in Sri Lanka.

As Sri Lanka is situated close to the Equator, it has a tropical climate. There are many rivers, mountains, waterfalls and flower gardens in the country. The four main rivers are: Mahaweli, Kelani, Kalu and Walawe; the Mahaweli River or Ganga is the longest river.

Piduruthalagala is the highest mountain and Bambarakanda is the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka.

The flower gardens are Haggala Garden and Peradeniya Botanical Garden. As my country is an agricultural country, many engage in paddy cultivation. However, tea, coconut and rubber are the main export crops.

The Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers are the four main communities in Sri Lanka. They practise Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity and speak Sinhala, Tamil and English.

The sacred city of Anuradhapura is venerated as the capital city of Buddhism. The sacred Bo tree grown from a sapling of the tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment is the oldest living tree in documented history. On its vicinity are the remains of the Brazen Palace. The towering Ruwanweliseya Dagoba, the temples, palaces and parks all bear testimony to a proud and imaginative people.

Many tourists from other countries visit Sri Lanka to see and enjoy its beauty. I love my country very much.

Anjula Silva, 9-H, Nalanda College, Colombo 10.
 

My school

My school Bandaranaike College is situated in the Gampaha district.

It is a boys’ school with about 4000 students. They are very talented and do their subjects well.There are about 162 teachers who also teach us well. They come to school early in the morning to teach us various subjects. The school principal is Ven. Labutale Sudassana. He is very strict, but he loves us very much. There is a conduct class in my school.

There is a very beautiful canteen and a big playground in my school.

The shrineroom is in front of the canteen.There are lots of trees around the school and many flowerbeds too. We water them everyday. So, my school is very attractive. It is also very clean because we don’t put litter everywhere.

I will love and respect my school forever.

R. A. D. Pramod Dilshan, Grade 6, Bandaranaike College, Gampaha.
 

Parrot, my favourite bird

My favourite bird is the parrot. There are parrots in several colours, but the most common are green.They make strange noises. If I ever get a chance to have a parrot as my pet, I would be very happy.

A parrot’s feathers are beautiful. It can be trained to talk or imitate us when we speak to them.

When we put a parrot in a cage it tries to escape because it wants to fly. But it cannot get out of the cage easily.

A parrot eats a variety of food, like grain, nuts, vegetables and fruits. It can fly very fast.

In the winter season, some parrots migrate either from country to country or within the country.

I love parrots very much.

K.A.D. Akila Sudaraka, Year 10, St. John’s College, Nugegoda.
 

A day by the sea

One day during the recent holidays my friends and I went to Bentota. My uncle who lives there had invited us. We reached Bentota by 9 a.m. My aunt gave us a good breakfast. After breakfast, we went down to the sea.

Some fishermen were setting out to fish in a boat. My friends and I asked them to take us along and they took us. It was a motorboat made of fibreglass. We could see the sea, the fish and other living things in the sea. We were quite excited watching these.

After about an hour, the fishermen brought us back. We swam to our hearts content in the sea and went back to my uncle’s place. There, a sumptuous lunch awaited us. My aunt prepared various kinds of seafood. We enjoyed the meal.

In the afternoon we collected a variety of seashells and seaweed to take back with us as souvenirs. We also found some oysters. In the evening we got back home after a lovely day by the sea.

Bushra Uwais, 8 B, Ramanathan Hindu Ladies’ College, Colombo 4.