A trip to Badulla

Winner:

On December 12, 2009, my family members and I went to the Fort Railway Station from my Punchi-amma's house at Piliyandala.

There were seven of us. We reached the station at about 5.55 a.m. and boarded the train named Podimenike. It set off from Fort around 6.00 a.m.

On the way to Badulla we first passed the Maradana Railway Station. There were many special places to see from there onwards up to Badulla.

One of them was Singimale, the longest tunnel on the Colombo-Badulla railway line. Then there was 'Ahas Nawaya Palama'.

We travelled through many stations. After we passed the Nawalapitiya Station, we reached Watawala Station. The highest rainfall in Sri Lanka is recorded from the Watawala area.

Near Thalawakele, we saw St. Clair's waterfall which is very beautiful.

Next we came to Nanu Oya Station. If anyone is travelling to Nuwara Eliya that person has to get off at Nanu Oya Station and go to Nuwara Eliya. Another place of interest was the rail knot situated in Demodara.

Pattipola, which comes after Ambewela is the highest Railway Station in our country.

Later our train proceeded to the Ohiya Station. From Ohiya Station anyone can travel to Horton Plains.

Ultimately we reached Badulla Station in the evening.

We got off the train and went to our grandma's house. The next day we visited Dunhinda Falls. It is the most beautiful waterfall in Sri Lanka.

After visiting Dunhinda Ella we went to worship at the Muthiyangana Raja Maha Vihara. It is said that the Buddha visited this Vihara during His second visit to Sri Lanka.

On December 14 we returned home. I enjoyed the trip very much. It will be a memorable journey in my lifetime.

M.D. Maduni Prabhashini,

Grade 9-A,

D.D. Athulathmudali KV,

Mathugama.

Dengue fever is deadly

Winner:

We must be aware of this disease. Dengue fever can kill people. More than 200 people had died because of this disease caused by a mosquito. In order to prevent the breeding of these deadly mosquitoes, we need to bury empty coconut shells, tins and cans that collect rain water, and also close windows in the evening. Coconut shells or tins which are filled with water have to be turned upside down because the dengue mosquito breeds in clean water. By doing this, we can prevent breeding of these mosquitoes. The dengue mosquito has white spots on its legs. If we contract dengue fever, we'll get dark spots on our body, especially arms. The dengue mosquito seems to be very small, but it can cause a lot of harm for humans. The dengue mosquito lays its eggs in clean, stagnant water.

The female mosquito sucks blood from us, and then puts the germ into us. We must be very careful of this dangerous fever which is spreading fast.

Ranuli Palipane,

Grade 4-D,

Musaeus College,

Colombo.

A jak tree speaks

Winner:

I am a tree. My name is Jak. I am useful to both man and animals, because they get many kinds of things from me. I am not harmful to man. The villagers and town people both like me a lot.

I give shade to man as well as to animals. I feed the goats and cattle with my leaves. My dry branches and twigs give fuel for cooking. I help most of the poor people. They earn their living by selling my fruits. Tasty curries can be made from my big fruits. Sweet meat can be made from the seeds of my fruit. I become yellow when I am ripe. Children like me when I am ripened. My fruit is very nutrious to the young as well as to the old. So, I make the citizens of my country healthy and strong. Even the outer skin of the fruit is not wasted. Cattle like it very much.

From my trunk you can make furniture, curios and doors, windows, door frames, window frames etc. Dear friends, it is your duty to look after me very well. I take a prominent place in my country as the government has forbidden to cut me down.

Rashintha Fernando,

St. Sebastian's College,

Moratuwa.

My school vacation

My school vacation was very interesting. It was a very enjoyable period in my life. All children like the school vacation. My school vacation began on December 8, 2009 and lasted about a month.

We went to Jaffna and also visited the 'Duwili' Waterfall. I also visited my grandparents at Thawalama. I played with my sister and my friends read books and watched television.

I went shopping with my mother and bought books. I was sad when the vacation ended, but I was also happy to get back to school to my new class.

Nihindu Anjana Weerasekera,

Grade 3, Ashoka College, Horana.

My favourite animal

My favourite animal is a horse. It can run fast. The horse's colour can be black, white, reddish brown or golden brown. I like black horses very much. The tail is long and straight. Its food is grain and grasses. Tame horses live in stables.

I love horses very much.

Sasika Gimhan Jayawickrama,

Dharmaraja College,Kandy.

Beat obesity

Winner:

Many people eat fast food. These contain lots of fats and carbohydrates. Eating too much fat causes obesity in human beings and many fall ill. Today obesity is one of the biggest health problems faced by many in the modern world.

Most people spend long hours in front of the television and computer. So they don't have time to do any work at home or exercises. This causes fat to accumulate in our bodies and lead to health complications. Walking is the simplest exercise that we can do, but many of us use vehicles to travel about today. Many wealthy people travel even short distances by vehicle so they miss out on exercises. This is one of the major factors contributing to obesity.

The environment we live in today is also full of houses and buildings with no parks, trails or sidewalks for people to relax and exercise. Most office workers also do not have time to be physically active. So they become overweight.

Eating snacks and drinking a lot of sugary drinks also cause obesity. If there is a family history of obesity too one can become obese.

Nutritious food and healthy habits are ways to avoid obesity.

Let us be aware of this problem and act accordingly.

M.N.M. Afrath,

Grade 9 - English Medium,

KG/MW/Baduriya CC,

Mawanella.

Saving treesour duty

Winner:

For millions of years the tree has been nature's boon to life on Earth, serving primarily as a source of food and shelter. But today this vital element of our environment is being threatened, cut and destroyed by heartless, selfish man. The irony of it all is until the final bit of the tree is felled, it continues to provide shade and shelter even to its destroyer.

Born into this beauty, we took these bountiful gifts of nature for granted for too long. Now we are faced with the very real danger of the meandering streams and cascading waterfalls drying up, turning the landscape into a semi-desert. Let us help in the efforts to let the rivers and streams flow enriching our earth; to let the waterfalls sing and cascade generating energy and beautifying our world. Without trees life as we know it, will be extinct.

Praveenya de Silva,

Grade 8,

Good Shepherd Convent,

Panadura.

Opening of the Dehiwala bridge

The opening ceremony of the Dehiwala bridge was held on October 21 last year. The Dehiwala flyover was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The length of this bridge is 337m and the width is 7.35m. The bridge is known as the Dehiwala flyover. It took three months to complete. The British government provided 920 million rupees for this project.

The advantage of this bridge is that it eases the traffic congestion at the Dehiwala junction. Children can go to school on time because two extra lanes have been added. The advantage of this is not only the easing of the traffic flow but also the beauty it gives to Dehiwala specially at night because of the lights. The Dehiwala bridge is a great success.

F. Zainab Irfan,

Hejaaz International School.

My garden

There is a small garden behind my house. It looks mostly green in colour because there are lots of trees and also flowering plants. I like to plant more flowers and trees.

My hobby is gardening and my parents help me to maintain this garden. In my small garden there are also vegetables such as brinjals, beans, sweet potatoes, green chillies and ladys' fingers. There are also fruit trees such as mangoes.

My family gets a good income from my garden. Every evening I make it a point to visit the garden and check what has happened to the plants.

I like my garden very much and I hope that I can improve my garden by planting many more trees in the future.

My family could save money and also get fresh fruits and vegetables for our consumption.

D. Roshel Hettiarachchi,

Grade 7,Lyceum International School, Panadura.

My village

My village is Loolbadduwa. It is in the Agalawatta electorate in the Western Province.

It is about twelve kilometres away from Mathugama. It is a small but beautiful village. There are about one thousand people in the village and most of them are engaged in various jobs. There are farmers, teachers, clerks, rubber tappers, tea pluckers, carpenters, bakers, masons and businessmen.

Loolbadduwa village has produced many brilliant citizens in our motherland. The late C.W.W. Kannangara, the "Father of Free Education" was one of them. My village is developing rapidly and the villagers help each other a lot. I like my village Loolbadduwa a lot.

Thisari Imesha Kannangara,

Grade 9,St. Mary's College,

Matugama.

I love my pet

My pet is a cat. Its name is kitty. Its colour is white. It has four legs and long tail.

My pet likes to eat fish and meat. It likes to drink milk. My pet catches rats.

I play with my pet. It loves me and I love it too.

D.K. S. Deshan Amarasinghe,

Grade 3, Ke/Dudley

Senanayake Central College,

Tholangamuwa.