Nutritious food

Winner:

All food contains nutrients. Our bodies need nutrients to keep them healthy and give energy.

Nutrients can be divided into different types. Carbohydrates give us energy to work and play.

There are two kinds of carbohydrate; starch and sugar. Rice and potatoes contain a lot of starch. Sugar gives us energy, but too much sugar is bad for our teeth and can make us fat.

Proteins help us keep our bodies fit and strong. There are two kinds of proteins.

Animal proteins and plant proteins. Fish and meat are high in protein.

People who don’t eat fish or meat can get their protein from soya, green peas, nuts, milk and various other food.

Vitamins and minerals too help to keep us healthy. We need them to keep our bones and teeth strong. Fruits and vegetables give us vitamins, energy and fibre.

They don’t make us fat. Butter, cheese and coconut all contain high levels of fat. Although these foods give us a lot of energy, too much fat in our diet can cause heart disease. While eating all these different kinds of foods, we must also remember to drink plenty of water, everyday.

A Dinusha Salith,
Grade 9,
Prince of Wales College,
Moratuwa.

Jaguars - skilled hunters

Winner:

The jaguar is a carnivorous animal. It is similar to a leopard. Due to this people confuse jaguars with leopards. However, there are ways to identify them.

Jaguars live in a variety of habitats. They live even in open land if there are provisions for hunting and reliable water sources. Their ‘menu’ is very large.

They hunt large livestock, deer and larger varieties of birds.The Jaguar’s jaw is very strong to the extent that it can haul a fully grown cow for almost a mile.Jaguars are amazing creatures.

It is sad that they are on the list of endangered species. This is mainly because they are hunted for their beautiful fur coats.

With environmental pressure today, the demand for such things have decreased but hunting these innocent animals has not ceased.

The population of jaguars in the world is estimated to be about 15,000 only. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) is doing all it can to protect the remaining of these skilled hunters.

It is up to us to protect them and treat them kindly, because all animals are a part of our environment.

Omar Badurdeen,
Grade 10, Hejaaz International School,
Mt. Lavinia.

I like listening to the radio

Winner:

There are many hobbies in the world. Gardening, reading books, collecting stamps and playing games are some of them. Out of them my favourite is listening to the radio.

Listening to the radio is an interesting hobby for me. It widens my knowledge. I like to listen to children’s songs and Hindi songs on the radio. Sometimes I listen to the news too.I think, listening to the radio is an enjoyable and very educational hobby. I can gather a lot of information on places and people in the world through the different programmes and news broadcasts. I can also learn cultural and economic facts.

I listen to the radio in my leisure. I generally listen to it after I finish my homework, but sometimes I listen to the radio while doing my homework too.I don’t like to listen to the radio when there is a crowd because I cannot hear what is said.

So, I prefer to listen to it in my room, alone. It helps me to relax and keep my mind free.

There are many radio channels, but I like to listen to FM radio the most.The most important thing when we listen to the radio is to listen very carefully because we can misunderstand what is said.I like listening to the radio very much because it helps me in many ways.

D.K. Gavithri Dilesha Amarasinghe,
Grade 10-P, Ke/Dudley Senanayake Central College.

Library - a storehouse of knowledge

Winner:

A library can be considered as a store house of knowledge. In a library there are many important books. A library provides a great service to society. There are a large number of libraries throughout the country.

There are many people who love to read books, but some of them cannot afford to buy books, because the prices are very high. So, by becoming a member of a library, he or she can borrow valuable books to read.

Libraries are useful mostly for poor children and fortunately they are open to the poor and rich alike.

There are two main sections in a library. They are the lending section and the reference section.

There are not only books in a library but also newspapers, periodicals and many more valuable printed material we could read and enhance our knowledge.

As we can develop our knowledge greatly through a library, even if we cannot afford to purchase books, we must make good use of this valuable facility.

A library plays a very important role in society and everyone must step forward to maintain it properly.

Mubashira Mulafir,
Grade 9,
Kl/A.W.M.G.N. Central College,
Dharga Town.

Potato - a valuable food plant

Winner:

A potato is a leafy plant that is classified as a vegetable. It has a thick and uneven shaped tuber which grows underground.

This plant bears small flowers which are white, pink, red, blue or purple in colour, depending on the species.

The potato itself bears a thin skin which varies in colour from brown to red. When a potato is cut open, it reveals light yellow flesh.

When it comes to the cultivation of potatoes it cannot be exposed to harsh weather conditions. Heavy frost damages the potato tuber in the ground. Extremely cold weather can lead to bruising and rotting of the plant. Such weather can ruin a large crop very quickly.

Potatoes are an important source of food which is very healthy. They contain various vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Potatoes also provide us with minerals such as calcium, iron, sodium and phosphorus.

They consist of about 80 per cent water and 20 per cent flesh.

Potatoes are used as food for domestic animals. They are also used to obtain starch in the food industry. Potato starch is often used in the production of sauces and soups. Potatoes are generally used to make curries and pastes that are very tasty.

The potatoes have been a very valuable source of food even in ancient times.

Chamal R. Menikarachchi,
Grade 9N,
Royal College, Colombo 7.

If I had three wishes...

If I had three wishes I would wish to explore the whole world.

I would go to the Amazon forest, visit every museum, swim the oceans and seas, go to the tallest building in the world and make a visit to Disneyland. I would take my parents, friends and of course my pets, along with me.

My second wish is to be a hero who can save the whole world when the world is in trouble, like Green Lantern. He saved the whole planet. If the Earth is full of crime, I'll solve them and send the crooks to prison.My third wish is to be a Software Engineer. Then I would work on the computer and make computers and software. The people who give their computers for repairs will pay me lots of money and I would use them for my family and myself.

Abdullah Atheeb,
Grade 5,
Hejaaz International School,
Mt. Lavinia.

Everything withers during a drought

The trees, bushes and vines have all withered. The few leaves left on the trees too have lost their green colour. The cattle, goat and other animals roam about looking for something to eat and drink. Their skins have virtually shrunk into their bones. The natural beauty of the fauna and flora is lost during a drought.

Farmers and fishermen face severe hardship as their cultivations are ruined. Earning money becomes a major problem during a drought and their family problems become worse.Dust spreads everywhere from the dry earth. The environment becomes brown and dusty. When there is a drought all waterways dry up.

A drought usually makes every person feel like a withered flower. Everyone gets tired of life then.Many suffer a lot during a drought. We need to avoid doing things such as felling of trees that can contribute to a drought condition in our environment.

Ashan Lahiru Senarath,
Grade 11B, Dharmaraja College,
Kandy.