One day it was my birthday and I got lots of gifts. When my birthday party was over, I went to a hotel with my parents and friends. We all had lunch.

I had lunch at a table with my friends. My parents were at another table. We had yellow rice, chicken, egg and dhal. We ate happily.

The food was delicious. I had a nice time when I ate with my friends. When we were finished, all thanked me. It was a wonderful day.

By Rovina Fernando (7+ years), Gateway College, Kandy

Something I wish would happen - 9 – 11 years

Out of the many things that I wish would happen, the thing that I wish most, is the elimination of terrorism throughout the world.

I wish this because terrorism is and has been a great pest to the government of a country and its
people. If my wish is granted, the advantages to the future world would be enormous.

Some of the advantages would be: the fact that the people would be free to travel anywhere without fear;
the fact that the government would be able to control the whole country etc.

For example, Sri Lanka has been freed of terrorism and the people of our country are enjoying the freedom. Therefore, I fervently hope that our whole world may be freed of terrorism in the near future.

By Ruwimal Pathiraja (10 years), Ambalangoda

Putting on a play - 12 – 14 years

In school functions, there are songs, dances, speeches and most importantly plays. Plays have become almost vital. Concerts without these are considered very boring.

Plays can be for any amount of time. Whether it is for ten minutes or a whole hour, it takes practice to finally perform it on stage. The first step of putting on a play is to make the story. People often use stories that have already been played on. Even in this case, the story has to be written on paper before heading to the next step.

The second thing to be done is to choose the cast, according to the character's personality, behaviour and looks. People usually get chosen if they look like the character, but the best actor gets the most votes for he has other advantages.

The third of these most important steps is to rehearse, slowly heading to the stage rehearsals and then the costume ones.

Stage rehearsals are very important. This can rid the actors of stage fright. If not completely, it can at least make them more comfortable with their roles. If these steps are done efficiently and with hard work, a perfect play will be ready.

By Bushra Ahmed (13+ years), White Rose Grammar School