Punctuality

Punctuality is a long word. It means doing things at the right time. A punctual child is never late for school. He or she does her homework at the right time and does not keep her family waiting at meal times.

Punctuality is a good habit and we should get into the habit of doing things at the right time. But it is not easy at first. It is easier to dawdle and be lazy. It is easy to put things off. We say, “we'll do it tomorrow or next week” and get into the bad habit of delaying and postponing. Once we get into this bad habit, it is hard to get out of it. A good motto is “do it now”.

A person who is not punctual is his or her own enemy and is a nuisance to everyone else. A clerk who is not punctual will soon lose his job. A friend who always keeps you waiting may lose your friendship. Therefore, be punctual always and do it now!

B.S. Asini Suloja Dayarathne,

Grade 8,

Maliyadewa Model School,

Kurunegala.

Munidasa Kumaratunga

Munidasa Kumaratunga was born on 25th July 1887. He was a poet, writer and journalist. He wrote many Sinhala novels such as Heenseraya, Hathpana, Magulkema and Kiyawana Nuwana. These books are popular among children even today.

Munidasa Kumaratunga founded the “Hela Havla” movement to promote the correct usage of Sinhala language. He wrote Sinhala grammar books and had a wide knowledge of other languages such as Pali, Sanskrit, Greek and Latin. He served as a school teacher, principal and school inspector in his lifetime. This eminent scholar passed away on 2nd March 1944.

E. Naduni Thusmila,

Grade 7,

Kuli/Kanadulla D.M.V,

Kuliyapitiya.

A walk in the beach

My younger brother, younger sister and I go for a walk in the beach near Carolina Hotel in Chilaw on Sunday evenings. We leave home by bicycle at around 4.00 p.m. and reach there by 4.30 p.m. We can see Carolina Beach Hotel from a distance.

My brother fears that the sea waves will come towards us. But I’m not scared of the sea because my ambition is to be a sailor. The sea is rough but we enjoy walking near the beach. My brother enjoys the sea breeze. We buy Elephant House ice chocs from the ice cream seller. We play on the beach until 6.30 p.m.

When it is dusk, the sea becomes even more rough and the waves are bigger. Fishermen get into their boats with their fishing nets and fishing gear to go to mid sea for fishing. When it gets darker, we can see the lights in the fishermen’s boats at mid sea. We decide to go home when it is time for us to leave.

Murugadhass Harshneeha,

Chilaw International

School,

Chilaw.

Father's care

Fathers build our future and give us the best in life. Anyone can advise us but a father's advice has a lot of influence. He may come home with financial worries but when we welcome him with a smile, it makes him happy. I feel safe when my father is with me. My father is my hero and I am very happy and blessed to have a father like him.

Suraya Fairooz,

Grade 9,

Ilma International School,

Kolonnawa.

My country

My country is Sri Lanka. It is an island in the Indian Ocean. It has nine provinces and twenty five districts. There are beautiful waterfalls, rivers and flower gardens. Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers live here. The President is Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister is Ranil Wickremesinghe. The national tree is the Na tree. The national flower is the Blue water lily. Tea, rubber and coconut are the main crops in the country. Rice is our staple food. I love my country.

K.R. Lashini Nishadini,

Grade 5,

Primary College, Veyangoda.

The day I became a hero

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. We decided to have a picnic in the beach. I invited my best friend Senithu to join us. We made sand castles and collected sea shells. Some of our sand castles got washed away by the huge waves.

Senithu wanted to have a sea bath. He was a good swimmer, like me. But my parents warned him to be careful. After a while, I heard him crying out for help. He was caught in a huge wave!

At once, I jumped in and swam towards him, and brought him to the sea shore. My parents were watching us in dismay. We took Senithu to the hospital and later we took him home to his parents. I became a hero that day because I had saved my friend. It is an unforgettable day in my life.

Vinuth Senarathna,

Grade 6,

Lyceum International School,

Wattala.

Poson Poya

Poson Poya is very important for Buddhists and Mihindu Thera introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka on this day. It is in the month of June. Many people go to temples and observe sil on this day. People also give “dansals”. Some people make Poson lanterns, colourful pandals and organise peraheras on this day. We can do many good deeds on this great day.

P.K. Imashi Neranjana Karunarathna,

Grade 7,

Bandarawela Central College,

Bandarawela.

My friend

My friend is Nikesh. He is nine years. He is in Grade 4. He lives in Veyangoda. He likes toffees but he doesn’t like bananas. He can run but he can’t sing. He has one sister and no brothers. He is fair. His father is Jayantha and he is a driver. His mother is Renuka and she is a housewife. He is a good boy. I love my friend.

A.P. Siyumi Nethmini Ganegoda,

Grade 4,

Hiripitiya Primary School,

Veyangoda.

My pet

My pet is a dog. It is white in colour. It eats many bones. It protects us and barks at night when robbers come to our house. It plays with me. I take him on a walk. It can run faster than I do. When other dogs come, it barks at them and chases them away. My pet likes to drink milk. Its favourite colour is blue. It has a bushy tail. It has a big cage.

It sleeps in it and eats in it too. It runs around the house. I like to keep it inside the house. I love my pet very much.

D.M. Chandu

Dissanayake,

Grade 5,

Royal

International

School,

Kurunegala.

Importance of sports and games

A healthy mind can be found only in a healthy body. Sports and games are given an important place in schools. The physical and mental development of a child depends on the exercises he or she does. A game is an activity where people or teams compete with each other. A sport is an activity we do for pleasure and which requires physical effort or skill. Sports are usually done in a specific area according to fixed rules.

There are many games such as netball, cricket and volleyball. High jump, triple jump and running are examples of sports. Today very few children play games because they are busy with their studies. And some of them are addicted to computer games. Therefore, sports and games are very important as they teach us good qualities such as self-discipline and leadership skills. Playing games also makes us grow strong tall and strong.

W.S.P. Thisumi Lohansa,

Grade 8,

Little Flower Convent,

Bandarawela.