CHILDREN

Tanzania

Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the North, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the West and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the South. The country’s Eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.

Dodoma, the Capital City of Tanzania has semi-desert like surroundings. Picture courtesy: Google

The United Republic of Tanzania is a unitary republic composed of 26 mikoa (regions). Since 1996, the official capital of Tanzania has been Dodoma, where Parliament and some government offices are located.

Between independence and 1996, the major coastal city of Dar es Salaam served as the country’s political capital. Today, Dar es Salaam remains the principal commercial city of Tanzania and the de-facto seat of most government institutions. It is the major seaport for the country and its landlocked neighbours.

The name Tanzania derives from the names of the two states Tanganyika and Zanzibar that united in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania is probably one of the oldest known continuously inhabited areas on Earth; fossil remains of humans and pre-human hominids have been found dating back over two million years.

More recently, Tanzania is believed to have been populated by hunter-gatherer communities, probably Cushitic and Khoisan speaking people. About 2000 years ago, Bantu-speaking people began to arrive from Western Africa in a series of migrations. Later, Nilotic pastoralists arrived, and continued to immigrate into the area through to the 18th Century.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Have a great New Year!

Dear Children,

So, Christmas is over and we are about to welcome a New Year.

Hope you had fun this year and let’s hope the year 2011 will be more funfilled and productive for you. A new year means a new school year and school term. You are going to higher Grade which means more studies and responsibilities.

You must be prepared for this challenge ahead of you. Most of you would have done well in your Third Term tests and will definitely want to improve in your studies in the New Year. Some of you would have made New Year resolutions for 2011.

Make sure that doing better in your studies and achieving higher grades in class is one of the resolutions. So children, as we bid goodbye to the old year and welcome the New Year, let’s hope that it’s going to be a good one for all of you. Make sure you start year 2011 on the right foot with a positive attitude. Please tell us about your December holiday adventures.

Let’s hope the New Year will be full of fun, happiness and success for all of you.

May all your hopes and dreams come true.

See you in the New Year.

Bye for now.

Aunt Anji

The morning soldiers

I saw them in the dawn
When harbingers twitter
Running towards the yard’s lawn
When dewdrops glitter

I saw waiting for my bus
To go to have my studies
I felt sorry for them, thus
They looked like rowdies

May be they are very nice
Though I saw them as rowdies
I witnessed one soldier’s face
Who’s eyes were not in peace
They were exhausted, shirts were wet
Even in the morn they looked so hot
Finally, a little weak solider came,but he was strong
Sprained his ankle and ran screaming along

Some were hardly strong as bulls
Some were courageous though they were weak
They flew away from my sight as gulls,
Disappearning into the nearby peak

Chathusha Vidwantha 9 P, Royal College, Colombo 7 A tribute to Ganemulla Commando Regiment

Inspectional tour

- Part 51

By Uncle Sachi and Aunt Ruwi

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. A sleeping spell is unleashed and all the unmythical creatures including the children fall asleep. Strangely Pramodaka is the only one awake.

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’)

Zira motioned Diane to stay out of sight. She huddled behind Shamilka and grimaced but luckily the gnomes, brownies and pixies seemed to have lost interest in them. They were talking nineteen to dozen, waving their staves and swords in the air.

Chummy, the stout gnome, got on the table near the entrance and began addressing the group.

“We had better check to see if each door, each passage and each department is safe.

“We can’t risk anything sneaking in. Goodness, wouldn’t Chief Jay be furious, especially when there was talk of introducing a new system here,” he cried.

“Yet another new system!” Zira who had been eavesdropping on their conversation snorted, mimicking his father Iza’s look when he had mentioned the new system at home.

Diane giggled and darted out of view after a sharp glance from Pramu. The rabbit brought a paw up to its snout, indicating her to be silent as they watched the drama folding before them.

“Are we all taking part in the inspection?” a bald brownie asked as he shifted his spear to scratch his head.

“In his effort to lift his arms, he managed to jab a short gnome in the stomach while knocking off another’s helmet.

“There was a short scuffle as the other two set upon him, jabbing his head with their fists and pulling at his beard.

The rest of the pack gave a roar of encouragement and watched the proceedings till the smaller two overpowered the gnome and sat on him. The bald brownie gave a cry of protest and tried to sit up but the gnomes hung on.

By now the others’ interest had worn out and they were already muttering among themselves on what to do next. Chummy, who had been a keen viewer of the fight, once again took matters into his own hands.

“Well that’s done. Now listen! We have to check each nook and corner on the way so that means we had better all go. It will be harder for an intruder to escape with us all there. We will begin from here and move up to the top of the tower...”

“..And down again back to our original places,” finished a pixie with a beard so long that it escaped from his helmet and almost trailed along the ground. He had knotted it in several places to keep it from being trodden on by his companions.

Chummy glowered at him. He did not like being interrupted.

“Let us make our way. Follow me,” he snapped.

“Daft lot,” Zira muttered under his breath as they watched the pack making their way up the staircase once again.

To be continued

Beautiful village	Sugar factory
K Sasika Sandeep 3C Minuwangoda Boys National School Minuwangoda	Induwara Alakeshwara Grade 1 SWRD Bandaranaike National School Kundasale
Mother’s love	Flowers and butterflies
Ishanee Rangaana Wickramasinghe Grade 10 Sailan International School Negombo	Elizabeth Ganesh Nursery B Bishop’s College Colombo 3

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Some of the attractions at the annual pre-school concert of Sujatha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda at the Bishop’s College, auditorium, Colombo recently.
Fabulous Youngsters International School, Wattala held its annual prize giving ceremony at the school hall recently. Here students performing a dance item. Picture by Ruzaik Farook	Pre-school children of Giggles International school participate at the Annual Activity Day held at the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo recently.