The wonderful world

Winner

Great, wide beautiful, wonderful world
With the wonderful waters round you curled
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully dressed.

The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree;
It walks on the water and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself, on the top of the hills.

You friendly Earth how far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that bow;
With cities and gardens, and cliffs and isles
And people upon you for thousands of miles?

Ah! you are so great and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, world, at all
And yet when I said my prayers today,
A voice inside me seemed to say,

?You are more than the Earth,
Though you are such a dot.

Mohamed Sajith Sahib,
Grade 6,
Oxford English College,
Dharga Town, Aluthgama.

Homework - what a terrible thing!

Winner:

The most terrible thing in the world,
The hardest thing in the world,
The tiresome thing for students to cope,
And this will make my parents happy, I hope.

My mother tells me it?s not so,
When I start to play,
With my dolls four,
My parents force me to do it until my spirits are low,
This terrible thing that makes my hands sore.

Teachers give me enough of this menace,
Which makes my mind like a furnace,
But sometimes I think,
It is good discipline!

Deeni S. Amith,
Grade 7,
Sujatha Vidyalaya,Nugegoda.

My favourite cartoon character

My favourite cartoon character is Usumaki Naruto Sama. He is the best fighter in the Ninja Union. He has a brother and a younger sister. They are also good fighters in the Ninja union.

His brother?s name is Sasuke Kun and his sister?s name is Sakura Chanens.They live in the city of Tokyo, in Japan. His teacher of Ninja fighting is Hatake Kakash. He has won a lot of places in Ninja fighting. His aim is to be a Hokage.

W.B.S.M.P. Lakmina Bandara,
Grade 6A,
Dharmaraja College,
Kandy.

Importance of practising a religion

Winner:

It is very important to practise a religion as we do not live alone but in a society. There is a huge difference between one who practises a religion and one who doesn’t. People who practise a religion are generally good citizens and are respected in society.

As we live in a society it is very important to be pleasant to others. For this we should improve our attitudes and morals. One who practises a religion usually has good qualities. Such people respect others, listen to them, treat everyone the same and are not selfish. These people learn to live in harmony in society by understanding others. In this way, he or she becomes a good example to the others, and help build a good society.

By practising a religion we could improve our patience and mental strength. We will be able to control our emotions and spend a good life without reacting with uncontrollable emotions when facing problems.

When we have problems in our lives, we can face them with courage and strength if we practise a religion. Our religious beliefs or faith will help us find the necessary strength to meet such challenges.

When we are practising a religion, we know what is good and bad before we face a situation. And the correct decisions we make in our lives brighten our future. We will also be able to spend a meaningful life by doing good things or meritorious acts. Such acts are helpful for us as well as for others.

By practising a religion we will be able to be good citizens in society.

Samadhi Somathilake,
Grade 9,
Hillwood College,
Kandy.

Kindness, the most powerful weapon

Winner:

Children are the future of this world. Without children we can’t build up the next generation. Children are one of the most lovable segments of society in this world. There are different types of children and they can be divided into two groups based on their feelings and character. Some are happy and playful and others are sad and frightened.

Among those, we should focus on children who are not active. What will they be able to achieve? They will not behave very playfully and be full of fun but be lazy children. Most often they feel scared to be active as they are timid. Because of that they will lose their confidence and be left behind, unable to achieve their goals.

So, what can we do to make them feel happy and confident? There is only one weapon, that is kindness. If we are not harmful to them then children will be very close to us. If we show kindness to them they will blossom. They will celebrate the day of kindness as the Children’s Day. My dear friends, let us be kind to the children of this world and help them enjoy the freedom of childhood not only on this marvellous day dedicated to them on October 1 but always. Hope all of you had a happy Children’s Day.

Aysha Insha Ilyas,
Grade 8H,
KL/Naleem Hajiar Ladies College,
Beruwala.

A trip to Unawatuna beach

Winner:

One day in the morning I went to Unawatuna with my family members. My aunt too joined us. We travelled in our van. We had breakfast at a hotel then we reached Unawatuna by noon.

We were planning to have a sea bath as soon as we went there but as we felt tired we relaxed and enjoyed the sea breeze for a short while.

When I thought it is the best time to have a sea bath, I wore a swimming costume and went into the sea. We bathed at a place where the water was shallow. My uncle dived in the water. I made a sand castle and decorated it with sea shells. But it was broken by a heavy wave. Afterwards I wanted to sunbathe so I lay on the beach. My cousins enjoyed themselves, flying kites. I too joined them later and it was a wonderful experience. Suddenly we saw the lighthouse far away and I looked at it using my binoculars.And then came the most joyful time. My uncle asked a boatman to take us on a boat safari. We were overjoyed by his decision. It was a wonderful opportunity. We got a ride in a boat.

The person spoke to my uncle was not only a boat owner, but also a life guard. Therefore, we weren’t afraid to go out into the deep sea at all. But we wore life jackets anyway.

There was a large glass on the bottom of the boat to see the beauty of the sea. We could see different types of fish, beautiful corals and sea plants. I haven’t seen such a beautiful sight before. It was like a dream in my life.After the boat ride we felt hungry and so we went to a hotel by the sea. There were sea foods.

We enjoyed the delicious lunch comprising fresh sea food. After lunch we went shopping and bought some items made out of sea shells. They were beautiful and I too bought one. Then we came home. I will never forget this trip to Unawatuna. I think it is the best place to spend a holiday.

K.D. Sandali Nethmini,
Grade 9,
K/Di Miriswatta National School,
Kalutara.