Winner:

My favourite cartoon character

My favourite cartoon character is Mariposa in Diamond Island. It is telecast on ITN at 7.00 a.m.

In the cartoon the characters are Mariposa, the Prince, the Queen, Puff Ball, Princess Catania and her father King Alfred. Mariposa is a kind-hearted fairy. She was the main adviser in the island. She had many friends like the Prince in the Palace and her own pet Puff Ball. Most of the time she loved reading fairy books and loved helping others.

I like this cartoon because it is about a brave fairy who was going to the Diamond Island as the main adviser of the island. Mariposa goes to Diamond Island to make the diamond fairies friendly with Mariposa’s tribe. But no one welcomed her to the Diamond Tribe except the diamond Princess Catania. She was kind-hearted and there was a cruel witch and she was going to destroy Diamond Island. Mariposa rescued the island from danger and that’s why I liked Mariposa.

Nethmini Dasunika Wimalaratne,
Grade 5E,
Royal International School,
Kurunegala.

Winner:

Time waits for no one

Life is short and yet man spends it like a prodigal. Most of us do not understand the value of time, the most valuable gift from God. The waste of time we indulge in, is really surprising. Most of us have not been taught or told how to value and use this treasure called time.

The precious minutes which can be turned to excellent use are wasted away in thoughtless and purposeless activities. Time is more precious than money.

Time is universal and eternal. We all grow in time, live in time and ultimately perish in time. Time once lost can never be recovered. Time may be spent wisely or foolishly. The choice is ours and so are its consequences.

It is foolish to think that we can make up for lost time. The past is dead and the future unborn. We waste our precious time either grieving over past blunders of building castles in the air. In other words, we waste today fretting over the dead yesterday, or in day-dreaming about tomorrow, which does not exist.

Time is eternal, boundless, endless and without either an end or a beginning, but for us it is limited, finite and short-lived.

We should make the best use of it. Brothers and sisters just remember that time is gold and it waits for no one!

Sanuki Kavinya Silva,
Grade 8EA,
Sujatha Vidyalaya,
Nugegoda.

Winner:

Good manners

As schoolchildren we must learn good manners. We must always try to be a well-mannered person. Good manners are essential to live in society.

When we meet someone we must greet him by saying “Good morning” or “Good afternoon.” We must greet him with a smile. When someone offers to help us we must say “Thank you”. That is to show our gratitude. If we want to speak to someone who is busy we must say, “Excuse me”. When we hurt someone by an oversight, we must say “I’m very sorry.”

We must respect our parents, teachers and elders. We must not look down upon the poor and the weak. We must always help them. We must appreciate the talents of others. We can say, “How nice!”, “That’s fine” or “Keep it up”. That will be a great encouragement for the person.

When the teacher comes to the classroom, we must stand up and greet him by saying “Good morning, Sir.”

Only a well-mannered person can become a good citizen.

F. Yusra Yaseer,
Grade 7,
Badi-ud-Din Mahamud Girls’ College,
Kandy.

Winner:

The discovery of coffee

Coffee plants originally grew wild in Ethiopia, though they are now cultivated in India, Arabia, Africa, Hawaii, Mexico, West Indies and South America.

This plant was discovered by chance in the early centuries, through goat herds in Ethiopia. Their flocks kept grazing by day and kept awake all through the night. When investigated, it was found that they had fed on the leaves of a certain plant. Coffee was named after the Arabic word qahwah when it came to be used as a hot drink in Arabia. Before its use as a hot drink, coffee seeds were used as food. It was also used to make a certain type of wine.

During the 1500s, coffee moved to Turkey and within 100 years to Italy.

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


 

Winner:

Holidays are fun

Back to school, I am looking forward to it. I enjoyed my holidays too.

My uncle, aunt and two cousins who came from Denmark stayed with us. We had a lovely time, visiting places in Colombo. We also went to an adventure resort in Kukuleganga.

My most memorable visit was to Anuradhapura. We worshipped at the Sri Maha Bodhiya and visited all the important places that belonged to the eight sacred places or Atamasthana. We also saw the Aukana Buddha statue – one of the tallest Buddha statues in Sri Lanka.

The Kalawewa was a beautiful sight, which stretched for a long distance. It brought to memory, King Dhatusena – who built it and the tragic death he faced.

Tantirimale which was once attacked by terrorists is now peaceful and many pilgrims visit it. It was an adventure climbing rocks and visiting caves.

We climbed Mihintale and it brought memories of Arahat Mahinda and his retinue.

My holidays were useful and happy. Now it is back to school and studies.

Maheli Rajeesha Wickramasingha,
Grade 6,
Musaeus College,
Colombo 7.

My mother

My mother was my first and best contact after I came to this world. It is so for everyone. She was my first teacher. She taught me how to speak and to stand up and walk. She taught me good manners and gave me happiness. My mother taught me how to read and write the alphabet in Tamil, English and Sinhala.

My mother is fair and of medium height and weight. She does all the household work. She keeps herself busy throughout the day. My mother devotes a lot of time on me. I have an elder sister who assists me in my work. She takes me whenever she goes out.

I miss her when she is away. My mother cooks delicious and tasty dishes. Sometimes, she asks me what I prefer to eat and prepares it. My mother is religious and offers her prayers everyday.

I love my mother more than anybody else in the world. I am proud of my mother.

T. Fathima Amani,
St/Al/Asraff Central College,
Irakkamam.

My sister

I have a younger sister. Her name is Sanugi Ruhansha. She is five years old. She is in grade one at St. Paul's Girls’ School, Waragoda. She likes to eat fruit and drink orange juice. She has a lot of dolls and toy cars. She likes to read stories.

Her favourite subject is Environmental studies. Sanugi likes to listen to music. She can sing and dance well. She likes to study. I play with my sister. She is a good girl.

A. Amika Ranneth,
Grade 5B,
President's College,
Pilapitiya,
Kelaniya.

 

A trip to Nuwara Eliya

My last trip was to Nuwara Eliya. It was cold there. We started our journey early in the morning on July 31 at 4.30 a.m. We travelled there by jeep. We passed so many mountains, paddy fields, lakes, rivers, small villages, cities and shops.

While we passed through the villages,we saw some animals too. While we passed the waterfalls, we felt a freshness. We photographed them. My father, mother, brother,relatives and myself went on the trip. We stayed there in a Safari bungalow in the Haggala circuit. We rested for a few hours after reaching there. Then we played in the garden. In the evening we went for a horse ride. We enjoyed ourselves a lot. Next we went to the Nuwara Eliya garden. While we are going in the ‘scissor swing,’ we laughed a loud.Next we went to the Nuwara Eliya market. We bought many things.Then we returned to the bungalow at night. It was very dark. Our parents cooked dinner for us.

My cousins and I played cards till midnight and then we went to bed. We got up early in the morning. It was a cold day. I went out of the house. The garden was covered by the mist. It was a very beautiful sight.

Then we washed and dressed ourselves.We left the bungalow and went for a boat ride on the Gregory Lake. It was very cold. We wore jackets and started the journey. We passed some beautiful waterfalls. We passed the Devon waterfall, station road and climbed the Devon mountain.

We went to Dibula Kandana rest on the top of the Devon mountain to have lunch. The waterfall begins from this point. We bathed under the waterfall. The water was cold.

We returned home at noon. The trip was enjoyable and memorable. I like to go on another trip next year. I love this trip very much.

Chathma Bisheka Lewandi Fernando,
Grade 6D,
Visakha Vidyalaya,
Colombo 5.

Animals at risk

The world is full of different types of animals. Many animals are in danger of dying out because they are being hunted in large numbers. Whales are hunted and killed for their meat. Blabber and elephants are killed for their tusks and crocodiles for their skin and teeth.

Today even other animals are in danger as industry and farming are destroying places of their habitat. Many blue whales have been killed for oil. It is difficult to find out how many are remaining. Many rare animals die out when their forest homes are destroyed.

Others die when chemicals and oil pollute rivers and seas. The soft and smooth feathers of water birds are stuck together with oil split over from ships in the great ocean. Some rare animals are bred in zoological gardens.

Today, there are wildlife conservation groups all over the world working hard to help animals at risk. If we act quickly, we may save some of these rare creatures from becoming extinct.

Hewage Navisha Charukshi Fernando,
Grade 8D, Sri Sumangala Girls’ School,
Panadura.