Children

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”- William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Troilus and Cressida.

Keep your surroundings clean!

My Dear Children,

Sinhala and Hindu New Year is round the corner. I am sure you all are looking forward to the New Year holidays. You may visit your friends and relatives or go on trips in the days ahead. Wherever you go, whatever you do always make sure that you do not disturb others and keep your surroundings clean.

There are people who do not pay much attention to this. You all might have seen how people dispose garbage by the road side. Some even throw empty plastic bags and containers out of the windows of their vehicles while travelling. Even while walking on the road some would simply throw away whatever they may find is no longer useful to them. without paying any attention to the inconvenience this would cause others.

You can set a good example to everyone by helping others to keep the surroundings clean. Whenever you see somebody throwing litter in public places never hesitate to advise them whether they are willing to listen to you or not.

Always try to keep your home environment clean. Give equal importance to public places as well. This is our country and it is our duty to keep it clean. If we all can think like that it is not so difficult to make each of our cities clean. All of us have a role to play in keeping our surroundings clean.

Bye,

Sanju.
[email protected]
 

Sunny stories:

Lost

Lahiru watched eagerly as the bus went past the Nuwara Eliya town. "In a few minutes we will reach the crossroads from where we will make a left turn and head for Horton Plains," said Miss Manel.

The Horton Plains

Lahiru could not wait to see the world famous national park, known as Maha Eilya in the old days, and later named after the British Governor Sir Robert Horton. Lahiru had visited the Plains once when he was six years old with his family but all he could remember were the mist, the rain and the bitter cold. Since then, he had watched programmes on TV and read articles in the newspapers about the Horton Plains. He was thrilled when Miss Manel announced their class outing this year would be to the Horton Plains.

The bus slowed when they reached the crossroads and started to climb the steep hill. Lahiru read the big board on the left side of the road which said 'Horton Plains. Leave only your footprints.'

The breeze sweeping through the Pidurutalagala mountains was cool and crisp. Lahiru's classmates began to sing Sala Lihini Kovul. But Lahiru did not join them. He stared out of the window taking in the gum trees and the thick foliage, the cloudless skies and the cows grazing in the meadows of the New Zealand farm.

After traveling for about thirty minutes the two buses stopped for a break. Miss Manel and Miss Sakuntala asked the children to get down and stretch their legs as they had another one and a half hours before they reached the entrance to World's End.

When Lahiru got off the bus he noticed the beautiful giant ferns and the tiny white flowers growing beneath them. He searched the trees for birds but saw none. Seeing a small footpath ahead of him he walked towards it hoping to see a bird or at least a butterfly. His eyes fell on scraps of paper, plastic lunch boxes and bottles that littered the path. Recalling the advice given by Miss Manel before they started the journey about not littering the environment around them Lahiru started to pick the trash he saw on the path.

He wondered who would have been so careless as to pollute the environment this way. Did they not care about keeping their surroundings clean? Did they not see the board reminding them to leave only their footprints behind them?

Lahiru picked a shopping bag which had been carried by the wind to the topmost branches of a giant fern.

He put all the trash he had collected into the bag. When he was satisfied there was not a single piece of paper or plastic container lying around him he walked back to the place where he had last seen the two buses. To his surprise there was no one around him. It took sometime to realize the buses had left without him. Undoubtedly Miss Manel would have thought he had got onto the other bus while Miss Sakuntala thought he was in Miss Manel's bus.

Lahiru sat by the side of the road and waited. He watched the shadows of the trees around him grow longer and longer. Soon he heard the rustle of leaves.

He held his breath. A family of sambar deer stepped out of the thick shrubs and started to nibble the grass on the meadow in front of him. Every now and then they raised their heads and listened. One sambar looked straight at Lahiru. Lahiru stared back. Suddenly the sambar ducked his head and started to run. The others followed him.

Lahiru too raised his head and listened. He heard the sound of a motor bike. Soon a forest warden came to view.

He stopped the bike near Lahiru.
"What is your name, son?"
"Lahiru. I got lost," said Lahiru.

"I know. Your teachers are looking for you and asked me to find you. What were you doing without getting onto one of the buses?"

Lahiru pointed to the bag filled with rubbish. "I was collecting the trash strewn by the side of the road" he explained.

The forest warden smiled and told Lahiru to get on to the bike. Still clutching the bag Lahiru did as he was told.

"That is a very thoughtful thing to do," said the warden. "If only everyone who comes here thinks the way you think, this place will be so beautiful."

Lahiru was happy the warden was not angry with him for getting lost. He was happy he had done something for Mother Nature. He wished all the visitors to Horton Plains would heed the advice on the sign boards. He thought how wonderful it would be if you could leave not even your footprints on these vast, beautiful, windswept moors.

-Aditha

[email protected]

Trust that

Trust that;
t tears
s smiles
u ups,
d downs,
f forward,
b backward,
w win,
l lost
c can,
c cannot
make up thy “Life”...

A.A.D.R. Nishadi

Library: a bank of knowledge

Library is a bank
of knowledge
People come here
of any age
Education cannot be sold
Gain it as much
as you are told
Keeping ‘silence’
is much more gold
Librarian helps
to find the books told
Books are arranged
in single or packs
Neatly placed in vertically fixed racks
Enjoy the reading
and writing over here
To gather more
ideas perfect and clear

Aysha Musafer, Grade 10
Sailan International School
Negombo.

A bus	Angry birds	Leaves print
Jeevesh, grade - 01, Kingston College International, Wellawatte	S.Thuvason,grade - 4, Kingston College International Wellawatte	Mandira Weerapperuma,Lower Kindergarten (LKG), Pathway Pre School, Colombo - 8
My home	A fruit vendor	Old transportation
UG Saleela Indeewari, grade - 7, St.Thomas’ Girls’,High School	Kinuli Anudwla Liyanage, grade - 2E, Musaeus College Colombo - 7	Damien John Jayatilaka, grade - 6E1, St.Peter’s College, Colombo - 4