Winner:

Longest Sea Bridge

The world’s longest sea bridge was opened on June 30, 2011 in China. The bridge is 42.5 km long and the name of the bridge is Jiaozhou Bay bridge. The cost to build the bridge is $ 2.3 billion.It is based on the cable-stayed design. It has a width of 35m and more than 5,000 pillars support the roadway. The material used is prestressed concrete.

The bridge is from Qingbao to Huang Dao. About 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the bridge. It took four years to build the bridge employing more than 10,000 people.

The bridge is designed to withstand severe earthquakes, typhoons and collisions with ships. The cable-stayed sections allow large ships to pass.

The maximum road height of the bridge is 50m.

One advantage of the bridge is that travelling time between the two cities will decrease.

W. Nethmina Fernando, Grade 7 LEA, Alethea School, Dehiwala.

Winner:

Spare a thought for the differently-abled

We all are unique in character, in decisions we make and in appearance too. But we all deserve happiness. We do get it but have you ever thought of the people who do not even get an iota of happiness. Unfortunately, there is a person I know who doesn’t get happiness but tries so hard to achieve it.

This person whom you all are wondering is Sandisi Rathnaweera. She is a differently-abled child, a month older than me. All she lacks is a pair of legs. Her long brown hair just reaches her shoulders and the thin neck makes her look like a pink flamingo with wings starting to rise. And the most touching feature is her pair of eyes which look just like blue sapphires.

She is a strong child. I believe one day that she will show what she can do. As a close friend, I would help her to see the wonders of this world.

Not only Sandisi but any differently-abled child deserves happiness just like we do. Please do not ignore them. They all deserve a place in the world. So, think twice about sharing your love and affection with them.

Pamuditha Ramanayaka, Grade 9 G, C.W.W. Kannangara Central College, Matugama.

Winner:

Importance of work and play

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is a popular saying. If you work all the time without play, it is bad for you.

Without sports and fresh air, life will be incomplete. You will constantly fall ill with no fresh air.

Overwork will cause serious diseases such as tuberculosis, asthma, whooping cough and scarlet fever.

Due to overweight you can get heart and kidney diseases and also high blood pressure. To avoid such illnesses we must play outdoor and indoor games as much as possible.

Another reason why we should play is to become disciplined. Without discipline we will have a dark future and we will become stubborn. Discipline is essential for growing children.

Playing games will keep our minds healthy. While playing in the open, fresh air will also help us to have a good night’s sleep, which is essential for a healthy body.

Nowadays children face a lot of problems because they have to go for tuition classes after they return from school. They have no time to play. They come home after tuition classes and sleep or watch TV. As a result, many children are deprived of health and intelligence.

Teenagers eat junk food instead of nutritious food. Many countries have a lot of parks and playgrounds for children to play.

We must reduce the number of factories and large buildings and build more parks and playgrounds. During the holidays we must go on trips for a change.

Shivangi Sritharan, Grade 4A, St. Jude’s College, Negombo.

Winner:

The dengue menace

Dengue is a non-communicable disease. It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The mosquitoes breed in clean water.

People put waste matter such as coconut shells, empty salmon tins, tyres, yoghurt cups, barrels and broken flower vases on roadways or the backyards of houses.Dengue is characterised by the sudden onset of fever, headache, body aches and joint pains, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and the development of skin rashes. So, we must prevent the spread of dengue fever.

By adopting good habits such as removing garbage, clearing blockades from the roof gutters, and draining stagnant water from drains will help to eliminate the mosquito menace.

We must take precautions such as wearing long sleeved clothes, using mosquitoes coils and vapour and insect repellents to prevent mosquitoes biting us.

Hajar Asker Ali, Grade 8, Mukkarramah International School, Dematagoda.

Winner:

Collecting stamps

Collecting stamps is a hobby among children. It is a popular hobby. Collecting postage stamps is called philately. One way of obtaining stamps is by exchanging extras with other collectors. We can use a stamp album for other collectors. We can use a stamp album for mounting the stamps. When we do philately we gain knowledge and enjoyment.

The first stamp of the world was introduced on May 6, 1840. It showed the head of Queen Victoria. It did not carry the name of the country because no other country used stamps. The first stamp of Sri Lanka was issued on April 1, 1857. It showed the head of Queen Victoria, heads of popular figures and other pictures. World Post Day is on October 9.

U.L. Ahamed Raseeth, Grade 7E, BT/Oddamavadi Central College, Oddamavadi.

My sister

My sister's name is Gobi. She is nine-years-old. Her favourite cartoon is, Thousand and one Arabian Nights. She likes to eat rice and curry. Her favourite game is snakes and ladders. Her favourite colour is red. She likes to drink milk. Her favourite dress is the Shalwar.

She goes to Cambridge International School. She is in Grade 5R and wears spectacles.

Her favourite subject is Science and her favourite author is Hellen Keller.

I like my sister and she likes me too.

Pranali Gobi, Grade 2T, Cambridge International School, Colombo 15.

Vesak

Vesak is a religious festival of Buddhists. It is held in May. It is celebrated to commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment and the Passing away of the Buddha.

Vesak is celebrated on a grand scale in Sri Lanka. Two public holidays are declared for Vesak. Children and adults make lanterns. They hang them in their homes. We can see huge pandals in many parts of the island. They depict Jathaka stories.

Many people go to temple on Vesak day. They observe sil. Dansalas can be seen everywhere. They give soft drinks and meals for those who come.Buddhist flags are seen in all Buddhist homes. Vesak greeting cards are sent to all friends and relatives.This is a time where most Buddhists go to temple.

Yuhanie Pamodha Wimalarathna, Grade 9, Sirimavo Bandaranayaka Vidyalaya.

Street children are denied education

In Sri Lanka we see a lot of children who live on the streets with their families. We call them Street Children. They lead their lives on the streets because of poverty. They do not have facilities for education and houses to live.

Every child has a right to education. However, street children are denied education due to poverty. Some parents encourage poor children to beg for money. As a result, they lose their dignity.Street children have no aim in life. They are born poor and die poor. No one pays attention to them.

The government should set up schools for them. Among them, there will be clever and intelligent students.We can conduct afternoon classes for them with the help of our parents and teachers. If we do so, street children will be useful citizens.

Harshini Udugama, Holy Cross College, Gampaha.