Winner:

A helping pair

They come as a pair,
They help us everywhere,
Every human gets this pair,
They encourage you everywhere.
They assist us in writing,
And definitely help us in fighting,
Drawing, colouring, creating and learning,
Washing, cleaning, wiping and dusting.
Holding, feeding, hugging and loving,
Playing, running, moving and skipping,
Pushing, pulling and pressing,
A million works they are doing.
To push the water away,
To play with it this way,
To wash the dirt away,
And to swim away and this way.
Sometimes they are greedy,
At times they are a blessing,
When they are happy,
They are warm and welcoming.
What if they were naughty?
Or if they were fussy,
Sometimes they make you look haughty,
But at times they make you happy.
Whatever you do,
Do not forget so,
To cleanse so well,
As not to smell.
But, what is this pair,
That helps us do our hair?
They’re our friends,
Of course, hands are this helping pair!

Janani Randhula,
Year 10,
Willesden College International, Battaramulla.

Winner:

My home garden

I have a small home garden. It is very beautiful. There are many flower plants full of flowers.

My home garden is clean. There is a well in my garden. We have a lot of trees such as mango, banana and other fruit trees in my home garden.

My mother cleans it every day. I water the plants every evening. Many birds and butterflies come to my home garden because there are many flowers and fruit.

I love my home garden very much.

E.P. Hashini Piyumanthi,
Grade 6D,
Ku/Wellawa Central College,
Kurunegala.

Winner:

The importance of group work

There is a famous saying, “Two heads are better than one.” Ideas of a single head are always directed to only one side of a problem. If we speak to two or more people, their ideas may flow in different angles about the same matter, looking at the good side as well as the bad. Then it is easier to analyse the problem and find a solution. Nowadays group work takes an important place in our lives.

The result of group work is a number of ideas coming across at the same time making a single united decision. It takes more time than a single head would take. But it is more accurate than a single person’s decision.

This method is accepted all over the world as an efficient way of handling some work. In our schools too we use this method to do our class activities. It helps us to improve our knowledge.

Group work takes an important role in our education as well as our day-to-day life.

Pravesha de Silva,
Grade 7,
Good Shepherd Convent,
Panadura.

Wetlands in Sri Lanka

Wetlands are important to our surroundings. They show nature’s beauty in Sri Lanka.

Wetlands are marshy areas. They are divided into three broad groups: inland fresh water wetlands, salt water wetlands and manmade wetlands. There are examples for each group.

For the first one, there are rivers, streams, marshes, swamps and valleys. For the second there are lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs. The third one has tanks, reservoirs, paddy fields and salterns.

The first broad group flow in all directions into the sea. Fresh water marshes and swamps include Muthurajawala marsh, fresh water swamp forests, the Kalu ganga basin and the Wilpattu National Park.

The second broad group of lagoons are found in Puttalam, Batticaloa, Bentota estuaries and the Gulf of Mannar. These are estuaries in Sri Lanka. The third broad group includes Victoria and Gal Oya tanks.

We find salterns in Hambantota. There is also a medicinal herb called Lunuwarana.

Wetlands provide us with Olu, Nelum and Manel flowers. Wetlands are important for our future.

Ehansa Arunadee,
Lyceum International School,
Panadura.

Winner:

My leisure time

Leisure is a free time that we can spend in various activities. We should spend our leisure very joyfully. We have various hobbies.

My hobby is collecting stamps. A person who collects stamps is called a philately. The first stamp was printed in England by Sir Rowland Hill in 1840. He was born on December 3, 1795.

He was a postal officer. The first stamp had the picture of Queen Victoria. The first stamp in Sri Lanka was released on April 1, 1857. I started collecting stamps when I was nine years old. I have about 1,500 local stamps in three albums and 560 stamps from different countries in another album.

Stamps increases our knowledge about the world and when I collect stamps I feel that I travel around the world.

I wish that one day I can be a member of a philatelic club.

Buwanajith Dissanayaka,
Grade 7E,
St. Sylvester’s College,
Kandy.

Winner:

The most exciting day in my life

I think all of you have an exciting day in your life. It can be a birthday, or a surprise trip. But my most exciting day is a different one. It was the day my younger brother was born.

The moment my parents said that a new member is being added to our family, I was overjoyed. I could not wait till my new companion came. I was curious to know whether it will be a brother or a sister. Doctors said that it was going to be a brother.My mother worked hard during this time. She did all the house work.

I was planning all sorts of things to do with my brother. To play cricket, to ride bicycle and loads and loads of things.

Eventually, the great day came. I was at the hospital with my father. Every minute I asked my father, “Thaththi, will it take a long time?” and my father answered, “five minutes more.”

After about five hours the doctor told us to come in. Then I saw my baby brother. He was a bundle of joy to look at.

They named my brother ‘Amila’ meaning invaluable. Now my brother is eight years old.

Thaveesha Waidyathilaka,
Lyceum International School.

The pleasure of reading

Good books enrich our minds by providing knowledge and widening the horizons of our imagination. A good book helps us to be friendly with the mighty minds. Good literature entertains us. Books can take us to a happy world where there is no pain or sorrow.

We have to read all types of books to get the maximum pleasure. We can start with comics, cheap detective novels and simple story books and later on read some good literature. Sir Francis Bacon has said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some to be chewed and digested”.

Today most children do not read. They watch television or play computer games rather than reading. So it is necessary to introduce good books for young children. Teachers and parents have to encourage students to read. Reading is a way of spending the time in a useful way.

N.Imashi Navodaya,
Grade 8E,
Ku/Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya.

My favourite author

My favourite author is Enid Blyton. She was born on August 11, 1897. She has written many books such as Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The St. Clare's, The Mallory towers, The Naughtiest Girl, The Adventure and Noddy.

She was very good at writing adventure stories and fairy tales. Enid Blyton was not only a writer for children but also for teachers as well and she was involved in editing too. Her stories have been translated into many languages.

I enjoy her books very much. She passed away at the age of 71 on November 28, 1968.

Dileshi Nugawela,
Grade 6,
Good Shepherd Convent,
Kandy.

Sri Pada, the sacred mountain

Sri Pada is one of the most sacred places in Sri Lanka. The shape of this mountain is very attractive. The Buddha placed his footprint on the summit. God Sumana Saman is the caretaker of the mountain.

Sri Pada is in the Sabragamuwa province. The height of this mountain is 7,362 feet. The pilgrimage season begins in December and ends in May. People of all faiths climb the mountain during this period. Kings and other rulers have contributed immensely to develop Sri Pada. It is a symbol of world peace.

B.K.D.S. Danisuru Dissanayake,
Grade 11,
Dharmaraja Maha Vidayalaya,
Piliyandala.

My family

Ours is a happy family. There are five members in my family. They are my mother, father, two brothers and myself. Their names are Shalindra, Deepani, Jananga, Jayangi and Anushanga. We have a big house. We go on family trips. I love my family very much.

Jayangi Shamidini,
Grade 1D,
St. Nicholas International School,
Negombo.