Children
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
The 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) is being
held in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18, 2009.
Nature lovers believe and pray that the political leaders would take
bold initiatives. These decisions include reducing the emissions of
green house gases such as carbon dioxide from the fossil such as petrol,
diesel, bunker fuel used by airplanes and ships and power production
using coal, provide fund adequately to take care of the adaptation
issues in the developing countries who are the most open to the changes
in the climate.
 The Himalayan glaciers provide water for more than a billion people
in Asia, but experts say they are melting at an alarming rate,
threatening to bring drought to large swathes of the continent within
decades.
International Mountain Day tomorrow
International mountain day is close to nature. Do you like hiking? I
am sure you children love to go hiking and is a very popular hobby with
the young and old alike. It is a very exciting and enjoyable experience
no doubt.
International Mountain Day has been celebrated annually on December
11 since its announcement by the United Nations General Assembly in
January, 2003.
International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness
about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the
opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build
partnerships that will bring positive change to the world's mountains
and highlands.
Various activities are organized on and around International Mountain
Day. These aim to increase awareness of and knowledge around the role of
mountains and mountainous regions among the general population and
professionals. Particular examples of events are: book fairs; symposia;
themed lectures for students; workshops and press events. Mountaineering
and explorations societies may hold lectures and social events on or
around December 11.
For example, in 2009, the American Alpine Institute - a U.S. based
mountain climbing guide service - celebrated the day by presenting a day
of donation-only clinics in order to help a local climbing access group
buy a local climbing area to turn it into a climber's park.
Dear children are you all enjoying the school holidays? Why not share
your new experiences with Daily News Children. Enjoy your holidays and
have fun.
Bye for now.
Aunt Anji
Japan
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Busy street
in Tokyo. courtesy: Google |
Japan is a very close friend of Sri Lanka and a country that most of
you children are familiar with. Japan is an archipelago of more than
6,500 islands. The charaters which make up Japan's name mean
'Sun-origin', which is why Japan is cometimes identified as the 'Land of
the Rising Sun'. Japan is also called the 'Land of Cherryblossoms'.
Children did you know that Japan is an island country in East Asia.
Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan,
People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia,
stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the North to the East China Sea
and Taiwan in the South. The characters which make up Japan's name mean
'sun-origin', which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the 'Land of
the Rising Sun'.
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands
are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, together accounting for 97
percent of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many
volcanic; for example, Japan's highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano.
Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with about 128 million
people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city
of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest
metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the
islands of Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. Since
adopting its Constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary
constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the
Diet.
A major economic power, Japan has the world's second-largest economy
by nominal GDP. Courtesy:Wikipedia
Capital - Tokyo
Recognised
regional
languages - Aynu itak, Eastern Japanese, Western Japanese, Ryukyuan,
and several other Japanese dialects
National
language - Japanese
Ethnic groups - 98.5 percent Japanese, 0.5 percent Korean, 0.4
percent Chinese
Demonym - Japanese
Area - Total 377,873 km2
Population - 2009 estimate 127,590,000
Currency - Yen
OTSC annual kiddies X'mas party
The annual Kiddies X'mas Party of the Old Thomians' Swimming Club for
members' children only, from the age between 2 to 12 years will be held
at the Club House premises on Saturday, December 19 from 4.30 p.m. to 7
p.m.
Popular magician Rohan Jayasekara 'Wondero' will conduct the magic
show. Face painting, film show, music and games will be there for
children and at the end 'Santa Claus' will give away presents. Children
from an orphanage too will be invited for the kiddies party.
Paddy field
Sri Lanka has been an agricultural country from ancient times.
Paddy is the most commonly grown grain in our country.
Rice is our staple food.
The paddy field was ploughed with the help of buffaloes.
Harvesting paddy was an important event in the village. The threshing
floor is the place where the reaped crops are gathered.
The paddy had to be stored until the next harvesting.
Now a days farmers use tractors to plough paddy field and also thresh
the paddy.
Ahamed Rinshad,
Grade 3A,
Sailan International School,
Negombo
My family
My family is small.
There are four of us in our family - father, mother, sister and
myself.
We live in Maharagama.
My father is Vidura Palihakkara.
He is a Manager.
My mother is Dilrukshi.
She is a housewife.
My sister is Sennaya Palihakkara.
My school name is Sujatha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda. I'm in Grade Two.
I love my family.
Dewmi Lashel
2 EB
Sujatha Vidyalaya
Nugegoda
Russell's messy cupboard - Part 1
By Uncle Sachi and Aunt Ruwi
In 'Kids Den'...
 Four children, 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 spell of the
'luring stones'. Pramodaka departs with Ruwi, a pixie, to recall a book
of spell to cast off the spell while the others remain behind with Sachi,
a gnome. A storm breaks and the kids are scattered.
Meanwhile Sulo, the goblin who is always trying to make trouble for
the mythical creatures, comes up with a nasty plan. She rushes off gang
up the rest of her pack and reveals an age old secret.
 However the group discovers that it is not only Sulo's secret that is
uncovered by the story. Something dark and deadly had been hidden in the
depths of the earth waiting to release itself and return for revenge...
A slight mist was sweeping into the woods. Russell looked after it
with a puzzled frown. A mist in the middle of daylight? It is something
that is unheard of!
"Something is wrong," he muttered to himself. "First the storm and
now the mist. Has the weather gone crazy or what?"
He stopped short on his tracks. There is no use going to visiting
Annie now that Sulo had made off with the basket of goodies. He had
better return home and face the music with his grandmother. No doubt the
elderly gnome will be cross with him for being so careless.
She never did like his affection for the female goblin and had always
criticized him for being too kind-hearted to it.
"Here, you had better watch your step," she had said the last time he
had lent a pot of honey to the goblin.
"That creature is too sly and do not forget that given a choice she
took Pradesh's side when he was trying to get into Jay's good books.
Why, she was almost crawling at his feet then and when the other
creatures had a fall out with Pradesh and put their foot down, it was
forced to come scampering back to you. Mark my word, my boy, you will
get in trouble if you take pity on that creature," she had said, wagging
her finger at him.
She had been correct, of course. Sulo who had watched with greedy
eyes when he had taken the honey jar out of the cupboard, had ransacked
it the following week. Still, Russell was not one who paid much
attention to his meals.
Many of his friends described him as 'hungry looking' because he only
remembered food till hours after meal time.
"Russell, you never eat when you should. You gather food early but
forget to take it till much later. No wonder you are so thin," Ruwi had
exclaimed as she and Sachi had once returned from gathering walnuts.
Sachi who had put a generous dose of nuts into Russell's cupboard
under the sink added: "I wouldn't be surprised to see these sprouting
roots the next time we visit. If we ever hear that something is wrong
with Russell's sink, remind him to check to see if a walnut tree is
growing inside here first before calling Kurma."
"Is this last year's or the year before last?" he added after a pause
as he brought out a piece of moon cake with a grubby silvery wrapping.
He turned it curiously to reveal a mark of a crescent embellished on the
side.
"Russell! That is three years ago. My great granny made that!" Ruwi
had squealed.
Russell just shrugged.
"They are all right. Much tastier once they are old," he had said.
"Russell!"
The gnome jumped, getting back from his day dream as he heard his
name. Looking up he saw a rather grim looking gnome walking up the path.
A plump companion was following up his footsteps.
"Why it is Naks. Wonder what he wants with me," Russell though as he
mentally ran his mind through the errands he had to perform for Jay. He
was sure that he hadn't forgotten anything.
(To be continued)
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