| Hello Children,
Did you know that the 1st of October was dedicated for children and
elders all over the world? Most of you have grand parents who really love
and care about you. Yet there are so many archchies and seeyas out there
in elders homes, who have no one to care for them. Their children all grown
up now are too busy with their own lives to look after their parents.
How would you feel if someone you cared about forgot about you? Just
like that, think about all those lonely old folk at these homes and spare
sometime for them. Visit them with your parents if you can and show them
that someone cares.
Until next week,
Aunty Sunshine
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My sister
My sister's name is Fathima Shehnaz Fazir. She is 15 years old and she
is studying in year 10 A at Muslim Ladies College. My sister is very beautiful
. She helps me in my studies. Her favourite Cricketer is Ajay Jadeja. Both
of us are friends. I like my only sister very much.
Fathima Hafeeza Fazir
Mulsim Ladies College
Colombo 4
I wonder Why?
The man in the box
Boasts about the casualties
Caused by their missiles
To the opposition troop.
With a gloomy picture
Of a soldier dying.
The man in the chair
Polishes his badge
As he watches the box
And smiles in the dark
I wonder why
They can't understand
That's their own brother
who is dying.
By Chamindi Ekanayake
Visakha Vidyalaya
My pet
My pet is a parrot. Its name is Robin. It's green in colour. But it
has a red neck and a beak. Its beak is sharp. It likes nuts and fruits.
It speaks English. I love my pet very much.
T.Visithra
R.K.M.Girls School
Karaitivu
The Brain
The brain is the important part of the Nervous system.It has four parts;
cerebrum, cerebellum, ponsvaroli and mdulla oblongata.
The Nervous system controls the body movement secretion of glands and
the feelings. But the brain is the most important organ and is protected
by strong walls. The brain has gray white matter
By Hafeel Casim
Alexor International
Get to know mountains
Mountains cover about one fifth of the surface of the Earth
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain. It is 8,848 (29 028ft)
above sea level.
Some mountain ranges are much older than others. The mountains in the
Highlands of Scotland were formed about 400 million years ago, but the
Alps are only about 15 million years old.
Mountains slowly change shape as they get older and worn off by rain,
wind and ice.
The making of Mountains
Mountains are formed by movements in the Earth's rocky crust.The layers
of rocks are pushed upward, folding and breaking to form different shapes
or types of mountains. As time passes erosion by frost and rain causes
the mountains to split and valleys and cliffs are formed.
Some mountains are formed by volcanic eruptions. The mother rock which
bubbles out through holes in the Earth's crust builds up layer by layer,
until it finally becomes a mountain.
Volcanic mountains can build up under the ocean. The Hawaiian Islands
are volcanic mountains.
Ramanthi Fernando
Ave Maria College
Colombo
 How
fish swim and see
S ince fish have no arms or legs they do not swim as we do. Instead,
they use the muscles running down their body, to wriggle from side to side.
They also lash their upright tail from one side to the other to push against
the water and drive themselves forwards. The average fish has a streamlined
shape that tapers towards the tail so that the water parts more easily
as it moves.
Dolphins and whales, which are sea mammals, swim in a similar fashion,
except that their tails are horizontal, and their bodies move up and down.
Fins
In most fish the tail fin is the main propeller driving the fish forwards.
The dorsal fin on the back and the anal fin near the tail help to keep
the fish balanced. The remaining pairs of fins - the pectorals and the
pelvics - are mainly used by the fish for steering.
Flatfish, such as sole or plaice, swim with their flattened bodies sideways,
and use their fins in a wave-like action. Skates and rays do the same,
but in their case the body is in the upright position.
A flying fish is a good swimmer but it can also glide over the water
surface. Moving its tail rapidly from side to side it "taxies"
over the surface, then takes off by spreading out its large pectoral fins.
It can glide for up to 400 metres, and keep airborne for 20 seconds.
Colour camouflage
Camouflage is a feature of many fish and gives them protection. They
also use it to remain hidden when after prey. Unlike land animals, a fish
can be seen from all sides. To make it less visible the upper side is dark
and the lower side pale. Seen from above, the dark back matches more closely
the sea bed or river bottom. From below, the pale underside blends with
the sky.
Some fish are camouflaged with spots or stripes. This helps them to
match their surroundings. A trout is spotted to imitate the pebbles over
which it rests. A perch or pike will hide among water plants, waiting for
something to approach before darting out to catch it. Its body is striped
to blend with the stalks of rushes or reeds.
Flatfish are coloured to match the sea bed. As it settles, a flatfish
will wriggle its body to stir up the sand, so that it becomes half covered.
It will even change its colour to match the sand and stones on which it
lies.
Some fish have odd shapes. The sea-horse looks totally unlike a fish
and could be mistaken for a piece of seaweed. The sea-dragon is even more
unrecognizable, since its body is covered with outgrowths looking like
leaves.
The razorfish has a very thin body and stands on its tail. In this position
it can hide among the spines of a sea-urchin, or among seaweed.
A real danger to skin-divers is the stone-fish. It lies on the sea bottom,
looking like a stone covered in seaweed. It has a sharp spine on its back.
If the spine is touched or stepped on by accident, it pierces the skin
with a deadly poison. Some divers have died or lost a hand or a foot in
this way.
Coral fish from the tropics are brilliantly coloured, yet they are well
hidden among the bright corals and seaweed. An interesting feature of some
coral fish is the way their eyes are covered with a dark stripe. They also
have two conspicuous "eyes" near the tail. This can confuse an
enemy into attacking the wrong end.
Eyesight
How well a fish sees depends on what it eats. Vegetarians usually have
poor sight and rely on smell and taste. Hunters are more sharp-eyed, in
order to catch their prey.
The blind cave fish lives in Mexico. The young have normal eyes, but
skin slowly grows over them, so making the adults blind. Eyes would be
useless since these fish live in permanent darkness.
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