My garden is beautiful. My mother and I pour water to the flower plants. My father works in the garden to make it attractive. I play with my father and mother in the garden. I like my garden very much.

My toy

By Aaryan Perera (Year 1), Gateway College

My favourite toy is a Ben10 watch. It is a big alien watch. It is very powerful. It is called the Omnitrix. It has lights and music. It is green and black in colour. My father gave it to me. I love my toy a lot.

Myself

By Aqeela Musharraff (8 years), Muslim Ladies College

My name is Aqeela Musharraff. My school is Muslim Ladies College. I am in Grade 3B. I have a sister. Her name is Thahira. My friends' names are Akifah, Afkah, Razia and Reem.

I like mangoes very much. My favourite colours are purple and orange. My favourite cartoon is Barbie in the 'Princess and the Pauper.'

Elephants of Sri Lanka

By Shadhaapthi Sridharan (10 years), Methodist College

From ancient times, the elephants of Sri Lanka were prize exports to the kingdoms of the East and West. Elephants are herbivorous animals. The Yala national park is famous for its elephant population.

The elephant is the largest of all land animals. It is a strange animal to look at. It picks things up with its trunk and puts it into its mouth. Elephants are very strong and clever. Tame elephants are useful to carry heavy loads. They are used in hunting tigers in the jungle too. In olden days they were used in battle and Indian Rajas' ride elephants during state processions.

The department of National Zoological Gardens has set up an orphanage for baby elephants at Pinnawela. There we can see the elephants feeding, nursing and dancing.

The environment

By Yulenka Morris (10 years), St. Bridget's Convent

What does the word 'environment' mean? According to the dictionary, the word environment means the air, water and land on which people, plants and animals live in. The environment is very important to us. Without it we cannot live.

The environment is useful to us in many different ways. So it is very important to look after it. Some people make use of it by damaging trees, destroying lakes and leaving only less space. Why do people destroy the environment? Because they need space to put up buildings, which is a bad thing. The environment is the animals own home. So we must look after it with love and care.

The library

By Afrah Amsudeen (12 years), Ababeel International College

There is a library in my town. Libraries serve a very useful function in providing information. There are many kinds of libraries, maintained by different organisations. Libraries for all sections of the general public are maintained by the local authorities in your area.

They have a lot of books, magazines and newspapers. Many students and people come to the library daily. They read books and borrow books. Many children come to the children's section to read fiction.
We must sit and read silently in the library.

We should get membership to borrow books. We should not scribble in the borrowed books. We should use the borrowed books neatly and return them on time. We should keep the library clean and tidy.

My grandmother

By Iyadh Khan (7 years), Royal College

Halima Hanim is my grandmother. We all call her 'Mummy'. She has five grandchildren. She is old, but she looks young.

She buys us toys, sweets and clothes. She likes to go in the three-wheeler. She is the best grandmother. When our mother scolds us she takes our side. Her hobby is gardening. She likes to watch tele-dramas.

Good friends

By Anam Ashfaq (10 years), Ladies College

It's Sarah I talked to, not Diana,
After that I sat next to Diasha,
I was getting along with Jane,
Unfortunately she was a bit of a pain

Mahisha is alright for some things,
I meet Mariam sometimes in town,
And Lynda is good at dancing,
Sometimes she is really a clown.

I used to go swimming with Diasha,
Now I go skipping with Joanne,
Heshanthi is good at drawing,
She'll turn out to be an artist alright.

I think I'm going off Sarah,
She borrowed my comb yesterday,
I think I might sit next to Avishka,
She's my dear best friend; she's ok!

Doctor

By Sahlan Shahal (Grade 2), Ilma International Girls' School

A doctor is a person who gives medicine for sick people. She works at a hospital. She wears a white coat. She uses a stethoscope to check people's heartbeat.

A paediatrician is a doctor for small children and sometimes she gives them toffees. Doctors who check our eyes are called opticians. Doctors who check our teeth are called dentists. Doctors who do operations are called surgeons.

Doctors should be kind to patients.

My pet

By Thilini Madurangi (Grade II), Vidyadara M.V., Maharagama

My pet is a cat. For me she is very beautiful. Her birthday is on September 25, 2009. Her name is Tutu.
She has shiny eyes. She is white. Tutu likes to play with me. Her favourite drink is milk. She dislikes bathing. She never makes my home dirty. Tutu waits for me to return from school.

She has a very long tail. Tutu likes to eat meat. She can run very fast. She can scream very loud too. She is very playful. When I sleep, she too sleeps near my bed. Sometimes she refuses to eat. She has soft feelings like a human being. I love my pet very much.

My mother

By Wasana Tennakoon (Grade 4), Lyceum International School, Ratnapura

My mother's name is Pushpa Disanayaka. She is 32 years old. She is very nice. She is kind to everyone. She lives in Kandy.

She likes to drink orange juice. She likes to eat fruits. She has nice clothes. My mother has an oval shaped face. She has short hair. She always gives me advice to be good.

She cooks very tasty food. She helps me to do my homework. She gives me advice on how to keep the bed clean and to wash my clothes. She is teaching me how to sweep the house and clean the
place.

I think my mother is the best mother in the world. I love my mother very much.

Rishy my cat

By Ashfa Rashmy (7 years), Greenwood College International, Matale

I have a cat,
Its name is Rishy.
Its coat is black,
And tail is bushy.

It likes to run,
About my house,
And have some fun,
By catching a mouse.

I give him milk,
In a dish.
He laps it up,
And looks at me,
As if to say,
"Give me more if you wish."

Begin a new year 2010

By Kalendra Abeysinghe (7 years), St. Benedicts' College, Kandy

Once again comes a wonderful new year. After 2009 it's 2010. This new year we would like to see many changes. Like all the past years, there are Poyas and all the other festivals which are to be celebrated by Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus.

This year 2010 we will be promoted to new grades, we will buy new books to use and also new brothers and sisters will enter to new schools. We would like to have a peaceful and a joyful year.

The importance of breakfast

By Minoli Pallepola (12 years), Sussex College, Kegalle

Breakfast is the main meal of the day. It should not be skipped especially by growing children and teenagers.

Breakfast kick-starts the brain and improves mental and physical performance. It helps to maintain a healthy body weight. Lack of concentration, lethargy, behavioral problems can be seen among the students who skip breakfast.

Poor health is another result. A research was done on students who have breakfast and those who do not. It showed that students who have breakfast before starting school have higher grades especially in Mathematics and Reading. It increases student attention and improves student behaviour.

Students who have a healthy breakfast meet their daily nutritional needs. They keep their body weight under control and have the correct blood cholesterol levels. They attend school regularly. They do not have to see the doctor often, complaining of tummy aches.

The day I met a monster

By Rahul Chandrasekera (7 years), Lyceum International School, Wattala

One night I went to my room to sleep. I saw the shadow of somebody in my room. I put on the light and saw a monster near my window.

After some time it came very close to me. I was thinking what to do now. The monster said,
"I want to eat you," and opened its mouth. He came nearer and nearer. I closed my eyes. Then at once a thought came to me.

I remembered the packet of biscuits that was on the shelf. I poked it into his big mouth. He took it out and smelt its sweet smell. Then he thanked me and went away.

At last I went to bed without fear. I dreamt about the monster and how I escaped. I'm sure he will come again for another packet of biscuits.

Basenji, the barkless dog

By Samith Ailapperuma (Grade 6), Trinity College, Kandy

The Basenji is one of the oldest dog breeds in the world. The first Basenji was found in Africa. Basenji is a breed of hunting dogs (hounds).

The reason which sets Basenji apart from other dogs is that it never barks. The Basenji makes an unusual sound commonly called the 'baroo'. They are good watch dogs and good hunters.

There are two colours of Basenjis. Some are reddish brown, while others are dark brown and white. It cleans itself like a cat. Compared to other breeds, Basenjis produce more pups.

These dogs are well known for their intelligence, courage, speed and silence. People who don't want to disturb their neighbours with barking dogs can select a basenji as an ideal pet. Basenji is a very loyal and a close companion to its master.

Sun, Earth, Moon and eclipses

By Hashani Kumarasinghe (11 years), Vision International School, Kandy

The sun keeps us warm. It helps in our day to day life. In fact the sun is a star made up of mainly
hydrogen gas. Its core is hotter about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. It also has cooler areas called sunspots. Sometimes these spots become larger than the size of the planet Jupiter which is the largest planet in the solar system.

Ultraviolet rays are one type of energy that we get, but can also burn our skin. Sunlight gives plants the energy that they need to make their own food. This process is called photosynthesis.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon travels between the sun and earth. Lunar eclipses occur when the moon is in earths shadow.

On January 15, 2010, a circular solar eclipse will occur and can be seen if you are in the northern part of Sri Lanka. Perhaps seeing a circular solar eclipse is only once in our lifetime.

Therefore my father has already arranged to visit Anuradhapura on that particular day.