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Children
FRANCE
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The Eiffel Tower is an iron tower
built during 1887-1889 on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine
River in Paris. The tower has become a global icon of France
and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
Courtesy: Google |
France officially the French Republic is a country located in Western
Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other
continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to
the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the
Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as L'Hexagone ('The Hexagon')
because of the geometric shape of its territory.
France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its main ideals
expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Capital
(and largest city)
Paris
Official languages French
Demonym French
Currency Euro |
Metropolitan France is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany,
Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. France's overseas
departments and collectivities also share land borders with Brazil and
Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles.
France is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel, which
passes underneath the English Channel.
France is the largest country in the European Union by area and the
second largest in Europe behind Ukraine. France has been a major power
for many centuries with strong economic, cultural, military and
political influence.
During the 17th and 18th Centuries, France colonized much of North
America; during the 19th and early 20th Centuries, France built the
second largest empire of the time, including large portions of North,
West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia and many Pacific islands. France
is a developed country and possesses the fifth largest economy by
nominal GDP and eighth largest economy by purchasing power parity.
It is the most visited country in the world, receiving 82 million
foreign tourists annually. France is one of the founding members of the
European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. It is also
a founding member of the United Nations, and a member of the
Francophonie, the G8, NATO, OECD, WTO and the Latin Union.
It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations
Security Council, possesses the third largest number of nuclear weapons
in the world and the largest number of nuclear power plants in the
European Union.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Enjoying school holidays
Dear Children,
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An elephant
performing for the children. |
Do you know why the month of September is important specially for
those book lovers? Because September is the literacy month. It's only a
few days away for us to go book hunting with those encouraging
bargaining book sales to suit our purse. Sri Lanka's best-patronized
public exhibition - the Colombo International Book Fair at the BMICH
will begin on September 19 for the 11th consecutive time.
The book fair will run for nine days. As usual I am sure it will be
held in grand style this time around. It's not only just buying books
but you get the opportunity to peruse a wide range of books. I am sure
you might meet some of your school friends at the book fair too.
Literate people are able to enjoy literature, art, music and drama.
Literacy is the essence of human interaction.
By the way are you enjoying your holidays? Did you go to the zoo? Our
photographer Sudath Nishantha captured many children visiting the zoo. I
also see a lot of children playing and having fun at the Vihara Maha
Devi Park specially in the evening.
So why not join in the fun. Make a trip to the zoo with you parents
and friends and be a part of enjoyment. Please write to us about your
funfilled experiences. It's encouraging to see all the contributions to
Daily News Children. Please keep them coming. If they are not published
please bear with us, as we will publish them in due course.
Methodist College wins Avi Schools' Badminton championships
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Sara Silva |
Methodist College Colombo was adjudged the champions at the recently
concluded Avi Schools Badminton Championships 2009.
The All Island Inter
Schools Badminton Championship was organized by the Sri Lanka Schools'
Badminton Association.
The Zonal Badminton Championship was held on June 27, 2009 at D.S.
Senanayake College Indoor Stadium. At this tournament, Sara Silva of
Methodist College Kollupitiya won the under 19 zonal championship.
She
is the College Captain of the badminton team and was also the champion
of under 13 and 14 age groups during the last few years in the school.
Bath
Two giants
Trudged along
On a dusty path
Oppressed by the heat
and insects
Suddenly they happened
Upon a pond of mud
A spray of mud covered the giants
Cooling the giant bodies
Chasing away the insects
The giants resumed
their walk
Along the path
Greatly relieved
Because of the 'mud bath'!
Nillasi Liyanage /10 F, Musaeus College / Colombo 7
Emilda's affair- Part 51
By Uncle Sachi and Aunt Ruwi
The story so far...
 Pramodaka, Nalaka, Champika and Chinthaka go on a trip to the woods
with their parents for their school holidays. In the middle of the night
the children are awakened by a strange noise. On following their dog,
Scooby, Chinthaka is snared by the age-old spell of the 'luring stones'.
Pramodaka departs with Ruwi, a pixie, to recall a book of spell to
cast off the spell while Nalaka, Champika and the dog remain behind with
Sachi, a gnome who updates them on the life of mythical creatures.
Shamilka, a friend of the mythical creatures joins in and they begin
hunting for Pramodaka and Ruwi as there is no sign of their return. Just
as they were coming to terms with the fact that they were lost, six
rabbits scamper along the way.
The rabbits take pity upon the children and agree to guide them part
of the way. Meanwhile Sulo, the goblin who is always trying to make
trouble for the mythical creatures, grabs a basket of goodies from a
gnome named Russell and makes off.
Scooby scents her and attacks. Ruwi senses that Russell is in danger
but she also gets the strange feeling that there is a mysterious link
between Pramodaka. Suddenly a storm breaks out and Pramodaka, Nalaka and
Champika are blown away with the wind. As they make their way back to
their friends, Sulo notices them and comes up with a nasty plan. She
rushes off gang up the rest of her pack. There she reveals a secret that
could hold the key to all the goblin's troubles. There is sudden break
of trouble in the pixie camp as one of the pixies, Dina, develops weird
symptoms...
 The sun was filtering through the trees in the woods. Emida had been
puzzled over the sudden change of weather but she had finally placed it
down on the 'one of those unexplainable happenings' list.
She hardly cared for anything in the world. No, not after she had
lost her child at the beginning of the year. Even Chief Jay was unable
to save poor Chinku from fate. There are some things that cannot be
explained or solved even by magic.... So it was one sad and lonely
looking figure which made its way up the footpath that morning.
She was rather short, dark skinned and plump with a cherubic face.
Her brown eyes would have had a twinkle of mischief if they had not been
filled with sorrow. Emida sighed as she spotted a spring of wild
daisies. Her favourite flowers! Chinku always brought a bunch for her
every day when he came home...
Emida and her husband, Chinku senior had lived happily till Sulo came
along. The goblin had spread malicious tales about the couple. Then it
had lured her husband to a dangerous addiction, a shrub names
Gondazlways which had been banned by Chief Jay in the boundaries of the
woods but which still grew in clumps in the boarders beyond.
Chinku had fallen victim to the goblin's charming words and had been
mislead. To cap it all, junior had caught the dreaded pox disease and
Emida had been too busy trying to save her husband to notice the
symptoms till it was too late. She had lost both husband and child in a
short period.
The elves had done their best to help her out. They have put her on
the sleep that heals the mind and emotions for a week. Then another elf,
the graceful one, had taken her into her domain for a few months. After
making sure that she could face life again she was allowed to go to her
sister.
The gnome had been so lost in the past that she hardly noticed where
she was heading till she almost bumped into him. Startled she looked up
and noticed that she had come a long way.
"This is where Matilda cast the spell for the luring stones... They
must be somewhere around here," she though as she adjusted her bonnet.
Then she almost jumped as she spied a shadowy figure looming before her
caught her eyes.
(To be continued)
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| A dancing troupe led by Thilaka
Wijesinghe of Buddhist Ladies College, Colombo 7 took part
in the second Hangzhou Children’s Game Festival in China.
The troupe has taken part in many such events in the past
held in Malaysia, India and South Korea. |
The Graduation and Award Ceremony of
the Kingston College International (Mutwal) was held at the
College Hall recently. Principal of Kingston College
International Wellawatte Branch P. Pakiarajah was the chief
guest. Dr. T. Kumaraverl, Chairman of the College awarding
the certificate to a student at the ceremony. |
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