There are so many new things that I got this year. I will explain them one by one. First of all is my
wonderful bag. My new bag is black in colour. There are also a few orange coloured lines of stitching on it. There are some special parts on the inside also.

Secondly I would like to mention about my new pen and pencil-case. It is pink and has a picture of
Barbie princess on it. Next I got a pink colour laptop computer and with it a came a pink colour DVD.
Just on my Prize-giving Day, I also got a new little baby sister. Her cheeks were as pink as a rose, her skin was as white as snow and her hair was as black as ebony that I thought that Snow White had
really been born.

Next I got a pink school bag and a pink computer bag. After that I got a printer, pink shoes, slippers and sandals. After some time to my greatest surprise I got a beautiful new bed and mattress, a cupboard and a computer table!

I got all these things because of my father so I thank him very, very much!

The parrot

By Fathima Afraa (6 years), Leighton Park International

The parrot is a beautiful bird. It is green in colour. It has a red hooked beak. It likes to eat fruit and nuts.
Some parrots can talk. Some live in tree hollows. There are five kinds of parrots in Sri Lanka.

If I were a butterfly

By Jumana Kareem (9 years), Crescent Girls' School

I see butterflies fly here and there in my garden. They adorn my garden and I admire them. If I were such a colourful butterfly, I would fly high up in the air from garden to garden and suck nectar with my friends.

I would also disclose the secret of my beautiful colours to my friends. This is a question that most small children ask their mothers. Perhaps they would like to know the real answer to this question?

What I would be when I grow up

By Thidas Gammanpila (6 years), Gateway College, Rajagiriya

I want to be a pilot when I grow up. I can enjoy flying all over the sky. I can take my family to other countries by plane. I have seen pilots in my trips to Australia, Thailand and Singapore. I love to take the plane through the clouds in the sky. I like the very smart uniform. Pilots speak several languages.

My dad told me that I have to study well to be a pilot. Because of that, I do my studies very well.

If I could have one wish come true

By Rishad Ramzan (Grade 6), Ikra International School

If I could have one wish come true, I would help poor people. If I could do that, I would take care of poor people. I will give them money. I will build houses and schools for them.

I would also pay all their bills. I will study hard and earn more money and help the poor. I will teach them and give them a better education. I would also let them know the value of helping others.

If we help the poor we will be rewarded by God. I wish to help the poor people in the future so that they will have better lives and I wish that everybody would try to help the poor. I love people who help the poor people.

What I have done to welcome 2010 the Year of Biodiversity

By Nithipan Suresh (14 years), St. Peter's College, Colombo 4

It is with great pleasure that I welcome the New Year 2010 which has been declared as the 'International Year of Biodiversity,' by the United Nations. It is a celebration of the diversity of plants and living
organisms on earth and the value of biodiversity to human lives.

First, I will inform my friends about the Year of Biodiversity and make them aware of the importance of conserving biodiversity for our well-being and to understand the economic value of biodiversity.

I will protect biodiversity – the different varieties of plants, birds, insects, reptiles, animals and we, humans. I am in Grade Nine and our teacher has taught us about biodiversity. I really was greatly astonished to see in the Funday Times about the International Year of Biodiversity and am glad that I got a chance to write about what I hope to do to welcome 2010.

I will protect biodiversity by not destroying trees, not polluting the environment so that animals and birds will not lose their homes and food.

Father has brought me some sapling of mango, jak, coconut and margosa, to plant on January 1, 2010. By God's grace these saplings will grow bigger and provide shelter and food for birds, butterflies, ants, and insects. They will also give fruit for us to eat.

I am eagerly awaiting the dawn of January 1, 2010 to plant the saplings to welcome the Year of Biodiversity.

Myself

By Navindu Fernando (7 years), S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Colombo 3

My name is Navindu. I am seven years old. My mother's name is Suranmali. My father's name is Senake. My hobby is collecting key-tags.

I go to S. Thomas' Preparatory School. I live in Moratuwa. I am in Grade 2A. I like to eat mangoes. I like to be a doctor.

My mother

By Oshadha Balasuriya (Grade 4), D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo

My mother's name is Samanthi. She is 36 years old. She is a lawyer. She is very good. She can drive. She can cook well. She loves me very much. I too love her very much.

Myself

By M. R. F. Rasha (Grade 2), Hill County International School, Madawala

I am Rasha. I study at Hill Country International School situated in Madawala Bazaar, a small village in Kandy. I am seven years old. I am in Grade Two English medium.

My class teacher is Mrs. Doreen Bastiansz. My school principal is Mr. Jazil. There are thirty-five teachers and nearly six-hundred students in my school. I go to school everyday by van. I am happy to be a Funday Times member.

Who am I?

By Tharushika Madiwaka (9 years), Swarnamali B.V., Kandy

I fly,
Like a kite in the sky.

My wings are blue, green and red.
What lovely colours
I have.
I hear children say,
I am beautiful.
Oh! I am proud!

But they try to catch me,
But I go up and up
so high.
I drink nectar,
from flowers – dahlia, rose, orchid,
Who am I?
Yes, I am a butterfly.

A person I admire

By Chamodi Tharushika (11 years), Sanghamitta Girls' College, Galle

I admire Mr. Martin Wickramasinghe. He was born on May 20, 1890. He was a good and popular writer in Sri Lanka. He was born in the southern province, Koggala, Malalagama.

He studied at Bona Vista College in Galle. He learned Sinhala, cultural languages from Koggala Deeranand teacher. He learned English too.

Martin Wickramasinghe wrote many books. ‘Owa Sithumina’ was his first. Next he wrote articles to the newspapers. He presented ‘Leela’, another book in 1914. His other books were ‘Woman,’ ‘Rohini’, ‘Seetha’, ‘Gamperaliya’, ‘Yuganthaya’,‘Kaliyugaya’, ‘Madolduwa’ etc.

He was a famous writer. He died in 1976. Although he is dead now, I admire him a lot.

Our Independence Day

By Gangani Kumarasinghe (Grade 9), Vision International School, Kandy

As a nation, we celebrate the 62nd Independence Day on February 4, 2010. Especially this year's
celebration is more meaningful than usual, because this is the first Independence Day celebration after winning the 30 years of war on May 19, last year, against separatist LTTE, and under one flag all over the country.

Many of our heroes belonging to all races, religions, and communities fought together to gain
freedom from the colonial rulers. F. R. Senanayake, D. S. Senanayake, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan,
Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam and many others in the recent past and also Keppetipola, Gongalegoda Banda, Puran Appu, had sacrificed their lives for our country’s freedom. Finally we could gain our Independence in 1948 and February 4th was declared as our Independence Day.

Rubbish

By Diany Hettiarachchi (12 years), Lyceum International School, Gampaha

What is the world's biggest rubbish area? When I say that you may wonder what it is. It is the sea. You may think that it's impossible. Just think how dirty the sea is; how many tins, cans, polythene bags it has. All the sewage pipes of factories, boats, ships are directed to the sea, not only that, oil from oil tankers too. In that place, we play, swim and enjoy ourselves.

So is it good to pollute such an area which gives us pleasure and leisure? Think of the sicknesses we have to face, from polluting the sea. For example, we eat fish.

Those fish live in the sea, and when the sea is polluted, the fish get sick. But we eat them because we don't know that the fish are polluted.

In this case, I don't say not to eat fish, because that's up to you. What I say is not to pollute the sea, the nature. Think of the animals and human life. Think of the way you can save it, not the ways to pollute it.
Therefore we can say our country is the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ very happily as well as very proudly.

I am a butterfly

By Pevinya Peiris (9 years), Visakha Vidyalaya

I can fly. I'm beautiful.
I have four wings. I'm
flying in the sky. I am
flying to lots of countries.
I have big wings. My wing colours are red and yellow.

My best friends are birds. I don't like rainy weather. My friend and I go to the nest. I like sunny days. I see lots of aeroplanes.

My favourite drink is honey. My favourite colour is blue. My friend's favourite colour is purple.

Sri Lanka

By Udani Wijayasooriya (12 years), Kekirawa Central College

Sri Lanka is the best country in the world. I like it very much because it is my motherland. Sri Lanka has a good president. His name is Mahinda Rajapaksa. He is a very kind and honest president. Sri Lanka is a small but marvellous country.

There are many water tanks, animals and plants in my motherland. Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher
people can live together happily and peacefully. They live together because our president brought our people peace and happiness. He defeated the L

TTE. One day our Sri Lanka will become a developed and very famous country in the world. I love my motherland very much.

My pet

By Ravindu Pathiraja (6 years), Leeds International School, Ambalangoda

My pet is a dog. It eats cats. Its name is Snoopy. It is black and white. I love it very much. I play with him. When I go to school, it guards our house. It lives in a kennel. It eats snakes also. It is bigger than me. It can swim.