Winner: Love of nature

Nature is the most precious gift given to us. It is our duty to save and look after it. But unfortunately man is destroying it for his own selfish purposes by cutting down trees, killing animals and contaminating the atmosphere. Man is also polluting the air with poisonous gases. We are steadily moving towards the path of destruction. Imagine a world without flora and fauna.Now the world is grappling with environmental pollution. Everyday people cut down trees. They do not plant trees again. As a result we are left with only a desolate land.

People who know the beauty, benefits and the value of nature protect it. If we protect nature, it will protect us in return. So we must love nature and pay more attention to look after it.

Ravindi de Silva,
Grade 7A,
St. Lawrence’s Convent,
Colombo 6.







 

Winner: The butterfly

The butterfly is a pretty, harmless insect which can fly. Butterflies give us joy. They fly from flower to flower using the wings in search of nectar. They come in different colours and sizes.

The female butterfly lays eggs on leaves of plants. After some days the eggs hatch into worms with legs. The are called caterpillars. The caterpillars feed themselves on the leaves and after a few weeks they make a covering for called a cocoon. During the warm weather the caterpillar bursts its cocoon and comes out as a beautiful butterfly.

Butterflies beautify the environment. Children like butterflies very much.

K. Yadurshika,
Grade 4,
Sussex College,
Kegalle.








 

Winner: Let us cultivate good healthy habits

‘Health is wealth.’ Do you know what is health and what are good healthy habits? If you are happy and not suffering from any disease, you enjoy good health. To maintain, good health you have to cultivate good healthy habits.

So, how could we have good healthy habits? Eating proper food, having a nutritious meal, washing hands before and after meals and cutting nails are some of the good healthy habits. We must be punctual. If we cultivate such habits we will enjoy the happiness of life.

The importance of cultivating good healthy habits can be done in many ways. They can provide us with many benefits to improve the standard of life.

Let us get together and cultivate healthy habits and make the world a better place.

A.H.L.Kulothma Siriwardena,
Grade 9A,
GM/Rathnawali Balika Vidyalaya.



 

The elephant

The elephant is a big animal. It has four legs as big as mortars.

It has a long trunk. The elephant has big ears. It eats branches of trees and fruits. It does not eat meat.

The elephant takes relics in relogious processions. It is majestic and children love it very much.

H.G. Werandika Niluminda,
Grade 6.















 

My mother

My mother’s name is Sarumathi. She is slim and pretty. She is a housewife.

My mother is very kind. She cooks food for us.

She washes our clothes. My mother keeps the house and garden clean.

My mother makes beautiful clothes for us. She prepares many sweetmeats.

She reads stories and sings songs for us. She takes us to temple and to the Sunday fair. I love my mother a lot.

Tharun Srinath,
Grade 4C,
Lexicon International School,
Kandy.


 

Winner: Ships

Ships are big vessels used for travelling and transporting goods across the oceans. In the early days ships were made out of wood. Nowadays they are made out of metal and are driven by diesel engines.

Ships transport oil, cargo and passengers. They are in three categories such as cargo ships, passenger ships and oil tankers.

Cargo ships are those which transport vehicles and other goods such as garments, furniture, steel and machinery to different countries. We use ships to export and import goods.

Passenger ships are those which transport people. When people want to travel they select the ship they prefer. In passenger ships there are swimming pools, playgrounds, restaurants and media rooms.

People use ships with all facilities for their leisure trips. The journey by ship takes a long period to reach the destination.

Oil tankers are ships which transport gas, fuel and other oils. They are transported by ship because an aircraft cannot carry large stocks of oil due to lack of space.

There are many advantages of ships. A ship can transport a large amount of goods at a time or 2000-3000 people.

The disadvantages are that a ship takes many days to complete the journey. In case of accident, ships go under water along with the goods and passengers.

However, ships are a good mode of transport. There is no other way of transporting a lot of goods other than by ship.

W.W.W.N. Nethmina Fernando,
Grade 8,
St. Sebastian’s College,
Moratuwa.

Winner: Environment Day

Environment Day is celebrated on June 5. It focuses on the dangers that the environment is facing due to the cutting of trees and killing wild animals. Various human activities have polluted the air, water and soil. Mother earth is facing a great problem due to pollution.

The Ozone layer has depleted and dangerous rays from the sun are entering the earth. Direct rays from the sun are harmful to humans, as they cause skin cancer.

We must make people aware of the dangers and protect the environment if we want to survive. The United Nations Conference on Human Environment has declared June 5 as Environment Day.

On this day essay and poster competitions are held in schools.

People must take part in planting trees and organising campaigns and in cleaning the environment.

F. Amaani Mumtaz,
Grade 5B,
Darol Uloom Academy,
Colombo 6.

The rainbow

The rainbow is a beautiful sight. It is an arch of different colours in the sky. Rain and sunshine should occur at the same time for it to appear.

Sunlight is made up of seven colours such as violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. When a ray of light is passed through a prism it splits into these seven colours.

We can see them in a rainbow. Once the rain ceases or the sun disappears, the rainbow fades away.

Achini Perera,
Grade 7C,
St. Lawrence's Convent,
Colombo 6.











 

Camels, the ships of the desert

Camels are domestic animals. They live in deserts. Long ago people used camels to travel. Camels are herbivorous animals. They eat plants and seeds.

They are mammals. They can live without food and water for many days. The excess amount of food is stored in their hump.

Camels have long eyelashes and automatic opening and closing nostrils. They also have long legs and large padded feet. They help them to walk on warm soft sand. Camels give us milk, leather and meat. Camels are called “ The ships of the desert .”

M.S. M. Makarim,

Grade 4A,

Wesswood College, Katugastota.

Under the sea

Under the sea,
A place I've never seen,
But in imagination I seek.
Fish swimming side to side,
What a busy place is it,
Corals covering everywhere,
Add colour to my imagination under the sea.

The rays of the smiling sun,
Were above the sea,
Falling to the bed,
Of the beautiful sea.

I can't stay,
In my imagination anymore,
Because there is a future,
Waiting for me..

Charushi,
Grade 7D,
St. Lawrence's Convent, Colombo 6.