Star gazing, an interesting hobby

Winner:

I spend many hours watching the night sky. I enjoy watching the twinkling stars. What delights me most is the movement of the stars. I can even tell the time by the position of the stars. I watch the night sky with the aid of a telescope and a guide book on stars.

I am very knowledgeable about space now. I not only read and research about space but also about the numerouse scientists who have researched about space and discovered many interesting things. I read many books about stars, galaxies,planets and comets. I also collect magazine and newspaper articles about space.

Have you watched the night sky? On a clear night we can see hundreds of twinkling stars in the sky. These stars we see are actually huge, glowing balls of gas like the Sun, but their light is much fainter because they are many light years away from the Earth.

I am very interested in learning about the numerous constellations such as Orion, Canis Major,Taurus, and the Southern Cross. There are many galaxies in the sky such as the Andromeda galaxy and Large Magellanic Cloud.Thousands of stars, planets and comets in a galaxy. Our galaxy is known as the Milky Way.

A star's life cycle is somewhat similar to that of humans. A star also has stages in life as we do, as infants, teenagers and adults. However, stars live longer than we do.They exist for millions of years. Our galaxy and other galaxies have many large clouds of gas and dust, mostly made up of hydrogen which are called "nebulae.’And, stars are born in such places.The Orion constellation too has a huge nebula.

Watching the night sky is very interesting as you can learn a lot about the objects in space. Star gazing is a popular hobby around the world. If you start observing the sky at night you will know just how much fun it could turn out to be. You will get more and more interested in astronomy if you do so.

Bambarawan Liyanage

Sumudu Lakmal,

Grade 9-B,

MR/Thelijjawila Central College.

Corals beautify marine sanctuaries

Winner:

Sri Lanka has been traditionally blessed with picturesque coral reefs. A coral reef comprises an assemblage of plants and animals of which the coral forms a dominant part.

A multitude of organisms is found in the coral framework. Fish and other vertibrates hide inside every nook and cranny. Others attach themselves to all the available space on the underside of plants and the dead coral.

The variety and complexity of the various shaped organisms of different hues add to their beauty and fascination.

Coral reefs are regarded as the breeding ground of many marine organisms,including fish and lobsters. Sri Lanka's coral reefs enhance the beauty of the country's ecological assets. Corals which add colour to its aquatic environs also have many scientific uses. However, due to a multitude of development activities these coral reefs have been found to be in a state of degradation. In order to prevent further damage to these corals, two of Sri Lanka's foremost coral reefs, Hikkaduwa and the Barrier reef north of Kalpitiya have been declared as marine sanctuaries.

The Hikkaduwa coral gardenwhich was in pristine glory around two years ago has now degenerated due to the rapid development of tourism in the area. Destructive fishing methods and the recent expansion of the ornamental marine fish industry have also contributed to the ecological imbalance in coral reefs.

We should not destroy these valuable coral reefs in the country as they not only add beauty to the marine sanctuaries but also protect the coastline.

Praveenya de Silva, Grade 10,

Good Shepherd Convent,

Panadura.

My hobby

My hobby is reading books. I started reading books when I was very young. At first my parents related the stories in the books. Later, I wanted to know the stories in the books.

So, I tried to read them by myself. This is how I developed the good habit of reading.

Reading books helps us to know about the world. It helps me to improve my knowledge of subjects I study at school too. It also gives me a lot of pleasure.

I like my hobby very much because it is very useful for my life.

Raveen Yohan,

Grade 5S,

St. Joseph’s College,

Enderamulla branch,

Wattala.

Important museums Down South

Winner:

My family and I went on a trip to Galle during my school holidays and the first place we visited was the Martin Wickramasinghe Museum at Koggala. We had to buy tickets to enter the museum.It was a beautiful place to see.

We saw the many ancient items that the great writer had collected like the metal and oil lamps and brass ware. There were many sections in the museum and one section was full of puppets and ancient Sri Lankan hand looms and clothes.

There were ancient jewellery and clothes used by the women too. Then we saw some of the material used in the agriculture sector such as mammoties,ploughs and axes.

After viewing the ancient objects and clothes, we went to see the section where ancient modes of transport were displayed. There were carts drawn by horses, bulls and elephants too.

There were also some ancient boats. Thereafter, we visited a very special place, the house where the great writer was born. We had to walk barefoot as the ancient floor tiles were very fragile and needed to be protected.

Some of the items like the writing table used by him, the pair of spectacles he wore, his wristwatch,the pens and bottles of ink he used. We saw the dining room, the room he was born in and his bedroom.

We also saw the collection of books he had written. After viewing everything in the house we visited the graveyard and saw the place the great writer and his wife were buried.

On the following day we visited the marine museum at the Galle Fort. Here too we had to buy tickets to enter.

The museum building was constructed by the Dutch.At this museum we saw many ancient pots, bottles, plates and many other items used by the sailors when going on voyages during that period .

We also saw the remains of a shipwreck.There were many old coins too found from ships that had sunk in the past.

We watched a cassette which provided information about the Dutch Fort and the various building constructed by them.

There were many statues of the Buddha which belonged to different eras in the museum.There was a wooden Buddha statue considered to be special because it had been found floating in Trincomalee after the tsunami.

All these are great historical finds that need to be protected for future generations.

Uvini Utthama Edirisinghe,

Grade 9-C, Devi Balika Vidyalaya,

Colombo 8.

Nature must be protected

Winner:

Nature has been destroyed and drastically change due to the rapid development of the world. The destructive activities carried out by man has had an adverse impact on nature.

Most people seem to be unaware of the important role nature plays in our lives so they destroy nature mostly for monetary gains. Some of the human activities that have an adverse effect on nature are cutting down trees, emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere,clearing of land for construction and discharging harmful chemical substances into water resources.When we destroy nature we have to face many hazards from nature too.Landslides,earthquakes, floods,droughts,storms and global warming are some of them.

However, most people,especially those who have not faced any of these hazards continue to destroy nature.

We should take steps to teach about the importance of protecting nature to those who are not aware of the valuable role it plays. As children we can do many things to create an awareness among the people to protect nature for the future generations by organising poster and drawing competions, organising street dramas and forming nature clubs at school and in the neighbourhoods.

The government must impose strict laws to punish those who destroy nature and fine them . Let's strive not to destroy nature when we try to make our lives better using the many resources nature has to offer us.

A.P.Umanda Hansamali,

Grade 9E, K/Pushpadana Girls' College,

Kandy.

Keep the water sources clean

Winner:

Water is very important for all human beings animals, and plants. Chemicals and other harmful substances pollute water. This would result in the pollution of streams, lakes, rivers and seas. Severe water pollution can kill a large number of fish and other animals. People who use this polluted water can fall ill.

Humans pollute water in many ways. Insecticides, weedicides and fertilisers used in large quantities in farming are one of the ways of polluting water.

When it rains these chemicals flow into streams, lakes and rivers and poison the water. Harmful chemicals, gases and waste materials are also sometimes released from industrial factories into waterways.

We should control ways of water pollution. We as children should help to keep our sources of water clean. We should not overuse chemicals in agriculture.

Another way of preventing water pollution is to build treatment plants in factories.

We should also introduce waste management systems. If we stop throwing waste all over the place, especially into lakes, rivers and the sea, the environment and all waterways will be clean and beautiful forever.

Sanju Nilukshan,

Grade 8L, H/Rajapaksa Central, College, Weeraketiya.