Children

Independence Day celebrations in Kandy

Dear Children,

Yesterday was our 62nd anniversary of Independence Day. This year's main celebrations were held at the Maha Maluwa in Kandy under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This year's celebration is significant since it is the first Independence commemoration held in a unified country after 30 years of terrorism.

Those of you staying in Kandy would have seen the Independence Day celebrations which was a very colourful event with cultural pageants. Those who didn't have a chance of viewing the celebrations must have watched it live on TV.

The fourth Deyata Kirula exhibition is also being held in Kandy to coincide with the Independence Day. This exhibition is specially organised to educate children on various subjects. So dear children don't miss out on this chance.

The exhibition has about 300 stalls which are very educative, informative and interesting to all of us. The exhibition will continue till February 10.

World Wetlands Day

There was another important day of the UN calendar this week. World Wetlands Day was on February 2 each year. The day is significant as environmental activists focus on the importance of conserving the wetlands in order to protect the eco system. According to environment lovers the Wetlands should be kept safe from ecological dangers. The dangerous situation of the environment and the responsibility of all countries specially the rich nations towards protecting the environment was debated at the COPE 15 Summit in Copenhegan held recently.

Do you know what Wetland is? A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps and marshes among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater, or brackish.

Among the most famous marshes in Sri Lanka is Muthurajawela.

The Muthurajawela Marshes are situated just South of Negombo and covers an area of approximately 6,000 hectares inclusive of the Negombo lagoon. The daily high tide brings in seawater from the ocean into the wetland. Continuous mixing of these two waters over thousands of years, has led to a brackish, integrated coastal ecosystem that is biologically diverse and teeming with life. A variety of mangroves and other types of flora including medicinal plants are found alongside numerous types of birds, butterflies and fish, some of which are endemic. Crocodiles, monitor lizards and Sri Lanka's largest snake, the Python are also native.

The world's largest wetland is the Pantanal which straddles Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America.

Wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems. Plant life found in wetlands includes mangrove, water lilies, cattails, sedges, tamarack, black spruce, cypress, gum, and many others. Animal life includes many different amphibians, reptiles, birds and furbearers.

The day marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands, called Ramsar Convention, on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. World Wetlands Day was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

The month of February

Did you notice something unusual when you see the month of February in the calendar? Well, I too didn't notice it until one of my friends pointed it out recently. Unlike other months all the days in this month is complete. According to sources a complete month like this is occurring after 53 years.

Have fun and enjoy yourselves.

Bye for now.

Aunt Anji

Explore our world

Latvia

Latvia is in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the North by Estonia (343 km), to the South by Lithuania (588 km), to the East by the Russian Federation (276 km), and to the Southeast by Belarus (141 km). Across the Baltic Sea to the West lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers 64,589 km2 and it has a temperate seasonal climate.

The Latvians are Baltic people culturally related to the Estonians and Lithuanians, with the Latvian language having many similarities with Lithuanian, but not with the Estonian language (a Finno-Ugric language). Today the Latvian and Lithuanian languages are the only surviving members of the Baltic languages of the Indo-European family. The modern name of Latvia is thought to originate from the ancient Latvian name Latvji, which, like the name of Lithuania, may have originated from the river named Latuva.

Latvia is a unitary Parliamentary Republic and is divided into 118 municipalities (109 novadi and nine cities). The capital and largest city is Riga. With a population of 2.24 million Latvia is one of the least-populous members of the European union, and its population has declined since 1991. Latvia has been a member of the United Nations since September 17, 1991.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

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Capital-Riga

Official languages-Latvian
Ethnic groups
59.2 percent
Latvians
28.0 percent
Russians
3.7 percent
Belarusians
2.5 percent
Ukrainians
6.6 percent others
Demonym
Latvian
Area - Total 64,589 km2
Population -2,231,503
Currency -Lats

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[Return of the KIDS]- Part 8

By Uncle Sachi and Aunt Ruwi

In control or out of control?

In 'Kid's 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 storm. Something dark and deadly had been hidden in the depths of the earth waiting to release itself and return for revenge...

('Return of the Kids' is the sequel to 'Kid's Den')

Ruwi, Shamilka and Pramu jumped. No sooner had Sachi departed, HE's buzzer went off. He got the equipment out of his pocket and frowned down at the message.

"Chief Jay had called a meeting. Ha... maybe I should inform him about these trouble-makers again and get rid of them once and for all," he thought slyly.

Then aloud he said: "Here, no need for you all to hang around here. We've got work to do and I have to be off. I wouldn't have you disturbing my boys while I'm gone."

Zira scowled at his tone.

"Most of them are designed to think the way you think," he said under his breath.

HE glared at him but could not catch his words. Pramu, who knew about the situation very well, having worked at the 'Mythicscope' for a few months before being assigned a more 'pleasant' job of delivering scrolls, held back a snort of laughter.

Ruwi watched HE leaving with a huff.

JVK looked around.

"Didn't you hear? Clear off. We're busy," he barked.

"The arrogant creature..." Zira breathed.

Just then a dainty little pixie with a kind face and smile walked out of the adjoining room carrying an armload of scrolls. She half smiled and hesitated wondering why the gang who have left 'Mythicscope' was back again.

In her haste to set aside her scrolls and talk to her friends Suzie stumbled over JVK's leg which had been stretched across the path while he had been lazying on his chair. The scrolls flew out of her hands, many slapping JVK on the face, while a few more scattered all over the place where the gnomes were at work.

There was a short silence. None of the gnomes made a move to help her pick up the documents though they were lying at their feet, below the tables which occupied the misty screens.

JVK was so angry that his face had turned red.

"Clumsy oaf, can't you look where you are going? Can't you take all of your rubbish and go somewhere else - all of you? We are in control here not you", he snapped.

Shamilka looked horrified but Ruwi, Iza and Pramu were more angry than surprised. They had been used to such unpleasantness while they had been in the 'Mythicscope'.

"JVK, how dare you..." Ruwi began while Zira made a move towards the gnome but it was too late. The little pixie left the room in a flood of tears.

To be continued

The annual concert of Janashakthi Pre-school, Unawatuna, Galle was held recently at Unawatuna. Here some children performing at the event.

The annual cultural concert of Shiny Purls Pre-school of Pitipana North Homagama was held at Homagama Central College Hall recently. Here students performing at the show.

Grade 3 students of Royal College, Colombo conducted their annual exhibition Punchi Ape Hapankam at the school premises last week. Head of the Grade three teachers S. Kanthi de Silva and a section of the students are in the picture.