Winner:

My pet parrot

My parrot’s name is Malithy. It loves to eat rice and grains. My parrot can talk with me. It is red and green.

My father made a cage for her.

I love it very much.

Senuka Kazuhiro,
Grade 3A,
NCEF Buddhist College,
Mulleriyawa New Town.

Winner:

A weekend camp

We had a camp during the weekend at Vidura College. Teachers of our school gave a warm welcome to all the children in grade one.

They provided us with packets of milk. The program was full of games such as listening activities, word building, dancing and cooking.

We made sandwiches with the help of our teacher. We sang songs. We had a buffet. After lunch we had ice-coffee and eclairs.

We enjoyed ourselves at the camp and learnt many things. We are thankful and grateful to our principal, headmistress and teachers for organising a camp for us.

Damsara Amantha Wijesinghe,
Grade 1 H,
Vidura College, Colombo 5.

Winner: A great leader

George Washington is one of the greatest men in the world. He was the first President of the United States of America. It is said that he was the first in war, peace and in the hearts of his countrymen.

He is still loved and honoured by all Americans. He was a brave, truthful and a kind person.

M. Akshaya,
Grade 6, Highlevel International School,
Hatton.

Winner: Why I love astronomy

Astronomy is the study of space and its contents. It is a subject that has been studied since ancient times when humans used to gaze at the stars and planets.

Today astronomers use sophisticated equipment to collect information about space and the universe.

People have always tried to make sense of their surroundings and different ideas about the universe evolved as people discovered more. Discoveries of new types of objects brought new questions to be answered.

An astronomers’ telescopic equipment is housed and used in an observatory. The atmosphere distorts light and other radiations from space, so many observatories are located at high altitudes. The world’s biggest observatories are on mountaintops away from the city light and where the atmosphere is very clear and dry.

Astronomers collect data from space by analysing a range of electromagnetic radiations; light and radio waves as well as other wave lengths such as X-ray and Ultraviolet rays. Astronomers use specialised telescopes with various attachments for collecting and studying the data.

Whatever the subject, an astronomer can be found in one of the two main locations, in universities and observatories. Data can be collected directly on to a computer and then transferred to other computers for analysis. Computers can process images and handle large amounts of information much quicker than an astronomer. Only a fraction of an astronomer’s time is spent in observation.

Humans have had different ideas of what the universe is and how it works and what its future is. Today scientists know more than ever before, but there is still much to be learnt.

D.I.S. Amarasooriya,
Grade 10C,
Maliyadeva Girls College,
Kurunegala.

Winner: My mother

My mother is my world. Her day begins before the sunrise. From morning till night she has to do a lot of work, such as cooking, sweeping, dusting, washing and ironing.

She is a dedicated mother. My mother sacrifices her life for our family. When I fall ill she is a nurse to me. When I am in trouble she is my best friend. She is a gift from God. Without her I cannot live even a single day.

To the world she is only a woman but to me she is the whole world.

I wish her good health and long life.

W. Ishen Gavesha Perera,
Grade 9,
Seventh Day Adventist High School,
Kandana.

Winner: My baby sister

My baby sister is Ishini Nemdeni. She is only six months old. My baby sister is beautiful. She looks like a doll.

I love my sister very much.

Imashi Dewmini,
Tiny Tots Nursery School,
Nittambuwa.

The value of swimming

There are many activities which are valuable to our lives. Swimming is an exercise which would help us to relax our body and to be active throughout the day. It helps us to improve our appearance. Swimming helps us to maintain a good relationship with others.

There are four strokes in swimming. They are freestyle, breastroke, backstroke and butterflystroke. If we are well trained in these strokes we will be able to swim in tournaments. To improve our swimming speed, there are several drills to perform. There are many swimming meets in our country. The most famous meet is conducted by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Union.

My brother and I won places at the national level in swimming. It helps us to balance our studies and sports. As an extracurricular activity swimming helps us to sleep well.

Savindu Hiranniya Herat,
Grade 7C,
Royal International School,
Kurunegala.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918. He was a brave and courageous man who fought for freedom from racial segregation. After he joined the African National Congress, he was jailed for 27 years but he did not lose courage.

He won the Noble Peace Prize. People will remember him for his “Long walk to freedom”. He is a hero.

He died on December 5, 2013.

F. Aysha Rasheed,
Grade 10B,
Amana International School,
Kolonnawa.

A trip to Malaysia

I had the good fortune to visit Malaysia by plane recently. On July 25, 2012 I went to the Katunayake International Airport with my parents. We went there three hours before the scheduled time. We had to get our boarding passes and other documents before entering the flight.

A few minutes before the flight we were taken to the plane by an airport bus. As we entered the plane we were warmly welcomed by an air hostess. Then we were taken to our seats. Our boarding passes and visas were checked. The air hostess gave a demonstration and explained what we should do in an emergency.

After the take off we saw tree tops and buildings which appeared small. Then the captain said, “Fasten your seat belts.” He also explained about the air route. About half an hour later we could not see any buildings or trees as we were flying above the clouds. After some time we unfastened our seat belts.

After three and a half hours flying the captain said that we were landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We were asked to fasten the seat belts again. After some time the air hostess bade us farewell. After checking our passports and visas we were allowed to leave the airport with our baggage.

Vinuka Shavin Silva,
Grade 6B,
St. Sebastian's College,
Moratuwa.