CHILDREN

Fighting dengue

Dear children,

This week is a very important one for Buddhists as yesterday was Poson Poya. Poson Poya commemorates the arrival of Buddhism to our country.

Poson Poya is celebrated annually with great fervour throughout Sri Lanka and particularly in Mihintale where Arahant Mahinda Thera first set foot to preach the word of the Buddha.

Many religious activities are organized during the Poson period such as sil campaigns, bodhi poojas, dansals, devotional songs, pandals and lanterns.

Children, there is one thing that you all should be careful about. That is the dreadful dengue fever.

Dengue can be fatal if we do not take preventive measures. If you read the newspapers or watch television, you would have read and heard about dengue.

Over 500 people have died and thousands infected by dengue in Sri Lanka since 2009. But timely action by the authorities has seen a drop in the number of dengue related deaths.

A recent Health Ministry survey revealed that nearly 75 percent of schools islandwide house places which breed mosquitoes.

People and businesses that fail to destroy mosquito-breeding places are being taken to court and fined.

An anti dengue campaign has been initiated by the government to beat this menace and educate the public on how to avoid falling victim to the dengue mosquito.

Schools will conduct shramadana campaigns to clear their respective environs, with the help of parents.

Preventive measures

People have been advised on how to dispose of garbage, children are being taught at schools about the dangers of dengue. Dengue awareness week launched and even introducing bacteria into standing water to kill mosquito larvae.

So come on children, be a part of the campaign to fight the dengue menace by keeping your home and school environments free and cooperating with the authorities.

Stay healthy and happy.

Bye for now.

Aunt Anji

Uzbekistan

Capital: Tashkent

Official language: Uzbek

Recognised regional languages:
Karakalpak

Ethnic groups:
Uzbek 80 percent,
Russian 5.5 percent

Demonym: Uzbekistani

Currency:Uzbekistan som

Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the West and to the North, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the East and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the South.

Prior to 1991, it was part of the Soviet Union.

Once part of the Persian Samanid and later Timurid empires, the region was conquered in the early 16th century by Uzbek nomads, who spoke an Eastern Turkic language.

Most of Uzbekistan’s population today belong to the Uzbek ethnic group and speak the Uzbek language, one of the family of Turkic languages.

Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and in 1924 became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR). It has been an independent republic since December 1991. Uzbekistan’s economy relies mainly on commodity production, including cotton, gold, uranium, potassium and natural gas.

Despite the declared objective of transition to a market economy, Uzbekistan continues to maintain rigid economic controls, which often repel foreign investors.

The policy of gradual, strictly controlled transition has nevertheless produced beneficial results in the form of economic recovery after 1995.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

READ A BOOK WITH ME... :

A journey to the land of blue mountains

Hello my dear friends,

Who is your favourite author(s)? When I was small, mine was Enid Blyton. Have you heard of the world famous English author Enid Blyton?

She wrote so many wonderful books for children of all ages. For the very small children she wrote books like Bed Time Stories, Six O’ Clock Tales, Seven O’ Clock Tales and Eight a Clock Tales. For children who are slightly older she wrote several wonderful series of stories such as The Noddy books and The Wishing Chair. If you are a little bit older than that she has written several other amazing series of books for you like The Secret Seven, Famous Five, her series of mystery stories and school stories such as the Naughtiest Girl books and Malory Towers. You may have watched some of these on television as well.

This week we’re going to read a fairy tale by Enid Blyton: The Land of Blue Mountains. It’s a short and sweet story about little Princess Lucy who goes to the land of blue mountains with her faithful dog Saxon. Do you know what makes her go there and what happens to her there? If you want to know, read this small book with lovely, colourful illustrations by Maggie Downer.

This pocket library edition of The Land of Blue Mountains is printed by Parragon publishers, Italy. I think this is a book you can read anywhere anytime because it’s very small and the story is short as well. You can easily carry it and read it in less than half an hour even if you’re a slow reader. If you like to read when you travel or if you’re the type who always carries a book wherever you go, this is an ideal little book to accompany you.

Once you have finished reading The Land of Blue Mountains, let me know what you think of it. Do you think there’s any message for you in it? Do you like the story?

And don’t forget to look for Enid Blyton’s books when you go to a library or a bookshop next time.

They are fascinating and have been taking generations of children into the beautiful land of stories for so many years now. She carries you to the amazing world of magic, fairies, mysteries and adventures. I have visited these beautiful lands when I was a child, so have my friends. And my little friends, now it’s time for you to set off on the journey too.

So why don’t you visit the land of blue mountains first!

Happy traveling with Enid Blyton!
Bye for now
Gayathri

My parents

My parents are good and kind. They are very beautiful. They help me in my schoolwork. They buy me new clothes, toys and books.

My mother cooks me tasty food and my father takes me for classes. They wish to see my progress. I always try to do my schoolwork best and make them happy.

I love my parents and they love me too. God bless my parents.

K. A. Ashadi Mewissa, 3A, Sujatha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda