Importance of eating healthy food

Winner:

Our health and lives are based on the kind of food we eat. As school children we should have healthy eating habits because it is only then that we can carry out our school and extra-curricular activities successfully.

It is necessary to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk and meat in order to maintain our health.

However, due to their busy lifestyles most people today go in for fast food and eat very little healthy food. As a result many end up becoming obese.

In the present day most children feel lethargic and find it difficult to engage in sports because of the improper food they eat. Even student attendance at schools is very low because children fall ill frequently due to the type of food they eat.

When we eat healthy food those around us too would follow our example and start eating the right kind of food.

"Health is wealth", it is said. However, today the majority of people are more wealthy than they are healthy. So, let us become more responsible and eat healthy food.

Sumaiyah A. Malik,

Grade 9B,

Hejaaz International School.

A golden opportunity for junior cricketers

The junior cricketers of St. Peter's College played several exhibition matches during the 'Big Match' between St. Peter's and St. Joseph's Colleges.

There were six teams and we played three matches. We played these matches only among ourselves during the one-hour lunch break at the 'big match'.

Each team was given five overs to play. It was very interesting for us. In fact,it was a great experience for us. We were all very proud to be there as it was the big match of our school too.

The exhibition matches for the junior cricketers were organised by the cricket coach of St. Peter's College and we are all thankful to him for giving us such an opportunity.

Prasesh Fernando,

Year Six, St. Peter's College,

Colombo.

Our ancient kingdoms

Winner:

It was our annual school trip. We went to Dambadeniya and Yapahuwa.

Dambadeniya was the fourth kingdom of our country and King ParakramabahuII made Dambadeniya his capital. Here we saw one of the most important places,"the Wijayasundararamaya." The Sacred Tooth Relic was initially kept in this special place. It had been a three storyed room but now only one is in existence. The doors and windows of this place were built in stone and the roof was designed in a special way. This shows the expert knowledge of the workmen. From ancient times this place has been preserved todate.

Then we come to the rock kingdom of the king. Climbing the rock was not easy. There were narrow, broken steps here and there. The king had chosen to build his kingdom on such a rock for his safety because during any invasion, the enemy would not be able to climb up fast.

This had been an advantage. There were large trees and layers of small bushes on either side of the steps. It was said that there were six ponds up on the rock. We were able to see only three of them. These ponds were wonderful to look at. One of them was filled with lotus flowers. Even though our ancestors didn't have the technology and equipment we have today they had built large palaces with high security. With their limited knowledge they found ways to safeguard their kingdom from the enemy. It was fun to climb up to the top of the rock even though we had to struggle to do so.

Next we visited Yapahuwa. Here too the kingdom was on top of a rock. The steps of this rock slanted at 70 degrees. Climbing the 700 steps was not easy. Yet we managed to do so.

The king had used all his skills to make his kingdom safe from enemies just like all other kingdoms.

During the Yapahuwa era there were many invasions. Yet the king was able to keep his kingdom and the tooth relic safe most of the time. The 700 steps of this kingdom were a special safety measure. While climbing this rock we understood the wisdom of the ancient kings.

Standing on top of the rock I admired the brevity and courage of our ancient kings. I understood how intelligent and skilled they were.

The service rendered by the kings to protect the country and the kingdom from enemies is great. This trip made us also understand the hardship and suffering our kings had undergone to protect the country from enemies.

Nasra Niyaz,

Hejaaz International School.

The Pinnawala elephant orphanage

Winner:

The famous Pinnawala elephant orphanage is in the Kurunegala District. It is situated about two kilometres from Kegalle town on the Kandy road. It was started in 1975.

There are many baby elephants as well as adult elephants here. Most of them are animals that have been rescued from different parts of the country but some are born in the orphanage itself.

There are many elephants that come under attack from villagers all over the country. The villagers, especially the farmers, either shoot down the elephants or throw firebrands at them to scare them away when they come into the villages. Some people set traps for them and elephants get injured by them. Then there are elephants that fall into pits, wells and water holes when they go in search of water during the dry season.

Some baby elephants stray from their herds and get lost or are abandoned by their mothers. All such elephants are rescued by people of the area and are taken to the Pinnawala orphanage by the Wildlife Department authorities.

Anyone who visits the orphanage can see these elephants walking in a line to the Maha Oya for a bath every morning, like schoolchildren going for the morning assembly at school.

Elephants love to be in the water for a long time and they enjoy their daily bath in the river. They look like rocks when they are lying in the water.

The mahouts scrub and rub their bodies with coconut husks to clean them. The playful little elephants spray and splash water on each other and frolic in the water.

The baby elephants below one year are classed as infants while those between one and five years are called calves. The male elephants are known as bull elephants and the females as cows. An infant drinks about five litres of milk at a time. People love to watch the baby elephants being fed at the orphanage. They are bottle-fed five times a day.

The adults are fed fodder, coconut leaves, jak leaves and kithul trunks. You can watch these elephants for many hours because they are very fascinating creatures.

Reshma Ismail,

Grade 8-B,

KL/ Sangamitta Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Aluthgama.

The influence of music

Winner:

“Without music life would be a mistake”, was the famous quote made by a famous personality. And, indeed to many, music is very special and life would be dull without it.

Music adds a special meaning to life. People like music because it helps them express their feelings. In this modern world, the influence of music is everywhere.

Music can have a magical effect on one’s mood and memories.

Music means different things to different people. There are different types of music such as rock, pop, hip hop, rap, jazz and classical music. When we talk about folk music it is evident that in most countries it has lost its significance due to modern music. In our country folk music is still appreciated by many.

Many people enjoy listening to songs. There are some songs that make people want to dance or sing out loud. Some songs have the power to make people happy or sad. There are songs that become very popular during a period of time and then fade away, but others that are always remembered. Music and songs change from time to time.

It is evident that music makes our lives better.

Navodya Weerakoon,

Grade 8- G,

Lyceum International School,

Nugegoda.

Clothing, a basic need

Winner:

We have many basic needs and clothing can be listed as the second most important basic need in today’s world, because, ancient man did not wear the type of clothes we do now.Before the dawn of civilisation man used leaves from the forest to cover himself. Later animal skins were used when they learned to hunt.

Clothes protect us in many ways, especially from the cold and the heat. There are different types of clothes worn by people of different countries. There are skirts, blouses sarongs, sarees, trousers and so on. There are various uniforms that are worn by schoolchildren and people working in different offices.

These uniforms, especially those worn by people in important services such as the three forces, police , lawyers and the clergy are highly respected.

Most of us like to dress well, but we should learn to buy clothes according to our needs. We must not buy too many clothes and waste money. If we have extra clothes that we cannot wear or need we should give them to the poor. We must also wear clothes which are not torn, crushed and dirty because the way we dress makes our personality beautiful. No one likes when we wear clothes that are dirty and smelly.

We should also wear decent clothes. “Eat for yourself but dress for others”, is a saying that emphasises the need to dress decently. The way we dress will earn respect from everyone in society. We should not buy very expensive clothes that do not even suit us just because it is the fashion. Not all the fashions suit us. Some are not even nice though they are expensive.

Shahani Razzak,

Grade 8/5,

Ilma International School,

Colombo.