Book concept and text: Diogo Verissimo Designing concept : Asanka De Zoysa Computer Graphic designing: K. A.

D Samantha Kumara Coordination: Education and Communication Division / CES

.Introduction .Green alert .In the wild .The empty paddy field .The gentle giant .The shy Loris .The spotted encounter .The call of the forest .Smart and smelly .The charming Snake .Flying colours .Acknowledgments

Introduction
Environmental education is one of the keystone areas in conservation biology, as such it is essential to develop its reach beyond specialised institutes and associations. Every environmental education program has the ultimate goal of reaching as many people has many people has possible. Mainstreaming environmental practices is the key to achieve a turnover in the accelerated degradation our planet is facing in the present. School in its broad sense, is one of the few, or even probably the only transversal institution to every continent, religion, culture or ethnic group. Furthermore, its responsibility to educate children makes it the perfect vehicle for environmental education activities. English is one of the compulsory subjects in every Sri Lankan primary school since year three. Learning a language so different from their own mother tongue (either Sinhala or Tamil) poses a series of challenges to young children. There is therefore a need for non-conventional ways of passing knowledge.

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Stories are a perfect way to reach a young childs attention as they mix real issues and a fantasy world where everything is possible and imagination is the only limit. They are a different way to create a genuine interest in learning while being also allowing children to become aware of the different threats to their countries ecosystems. A mixture of these three ingredients, school, English learning and story telling as proven effective in other biological hotspots namely in the Dominica Island in the Caribbean where the whole country united around a character created to preserve the national bird, a parrot by then threatened by the illegal pet trade. This along with other success histories gave place to the idea of creating a booklet of stories for school children to use in their English classes. This book aims at making English learning easier and at the same time hopes to grow an environmental conscience in the younger generations.

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Green alert

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. Tim goes to school to learn about different things. These will be very important when he grows up. After school Tim and his friends play together in the paddy rice fields and in the forest. One day, after school, Tim and his friends went to the forest to play. Tim likes to play in the forest because it is a very beautiful place, with many different colours and many different sounds.

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In the forest you can find lagoons, mushrooms, small plants, very old trees and many different animals from the butterfly to the tortoise, from the frog to the langur. On that day, Tim and his friends went to play hide and seek. Tim loved to play hide and seek, and he ran to find the best hiding place. After some time he stopped near a very old tree. That tree was probably the oldest tree in the forest. He heard a strange noise, and walked close to the tree to listen. Tim, do you like the forest? Tim was scared, the tree was talking! Tim, do you like the forest? The old tree gasped.

Yes, it is very beautiful said Tim, still a little surprised.

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You are right, replied the old tree, however that is not the only reason to like the forest. The forest gives you food to eat, water to drink and shade to rest under, it is also the home of all the animals, plants and all the other living beings you see. What other place can give you all this? There was a moment of silence. Those words made Tim think about the beautiful things he sees and learns in the forest. He had lived for many years near the forest but he had never thought about all the nice things the forest gave him. Why are you talking to me? Why are you telling me this? Tim said, without answering the trees question. The forest is endangered Tim, said the old tree. For many years mankind and nature lived side by side, but now the times have changed and there seems to be no space left for the forest anymore. Tim was unhappy, how would they live without the forest? Without the animals? Without the plants? So he asked the tree, who is destroying the forest? The old tree replied People are, even you Tim. Tim could not believe it, he said I love the forest, I am not destroying it!

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But the old tree just replied, I will show you Tim, the forest itself will talk to you and you will see how humans destroy the forest, tree by tree, bird by bird. After those words the tree said no more. Tim continued to talk to her but there was no reply. By this time, Tim remembered the hide and seek game he was playing before and thought his friends were probably worried about him. Still wondering about the meaning of the trees words, he decided it was time to return.

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In the wild
Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. On a sunny day, Tim was walking along a forest path. He had spent the whole morning helping his father in the paddy fields. The paddy fields are very important as they are the place where rice is grown. Walking down the path, Tim heard a noise just behind a small bush. He slowly lifted some of its branches, only to discover a small tortoise! It was a very beautiful animal, but as soon as Tim picked it up the tortoise withdrew her head and legs inside her shell. Without further delay, Tim put her in his pocket. Put me down! Tim was surprised. He did not know who had said that. He looked around but could not find anyone. I said, put me down! Tim was really confused and did not dare to move at all. A few seconds passed before Tim noticed the small tortoise furiously struggling to get out of his pocket.

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Although surprised, Tim quickly took her out. However, the tortoise still had some things to say. What are you doing? Where are you taking me? she screamed at him. Tim replied calmly, I am taking you to be my pet. You will live in a beautiful home garden, full of flowers and birds. There you will have no predators and no one will bother you. I will also give you all the food and water you can dream of. I do not want to go with you, replied the tortoise. Why? What more could you wish for? asked Tim.

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You see, the tortoise began, tortoises are wild animals. We need other tortoises to play with, we need to drink water from the streams and lagoons, and we need to eat the hundreds of different species of vegetables that we can only find in the forest. If you feed us with rice and lettuce and give us tap water to drink, we will die quickly. Tortoises are not pets. Although taken by surprise by the tortoises speech, Tim was forced to recognize she was right and he was wrong. Wild animals like tortoises or porcupines are very different from the cats and dogs we have at home. These animals have special needs that only they and the forest know how to fulfil. That said, Tim released the tortoise back into the forest. Goodbye thank you for this lesson, I will not forget it! he shouted. You are welcome, I hope you can teach it to your fellow humans! the tortoise answered as she turned around and vanished into the forest. Tim saw her disappear, and headed home in a hurry, it was almost time for lunch!

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The empty paddy field

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. So far, this had been exactly like any other Saturday in Tims life. He woke up at dawn, and went with his father to the paddy fields. The two of them worked all morning, and stopped only at noon when the temperature became too hot. Then they decided to have lunch, under the shade of a big tree. After lunch, as it was still to hot to resume work, Tim and his father decided to take a nap. Tim went fast asleep, as he was really tired from all the work he had done in the morning. Exactly as Tim was beginning to dream away, something jumped on his head and woke him up. Still a bit sleepy, Tim looked around and found the culprit, a frog. The same greenish frog, Tim was so used to seeing in the paddy field. His father had told him there used to be several dozens of them around the field. However, Tim had noticed that each year they appeared to be less and less common.
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That year he only remembered seeing that one individual, nothing more. As soon as Tim got up the frog jumped away, into the forest. Tim was worried, if that frog went away they would have no animals at all in the paddy fields! That frog what lived her whole live on those fields, why would she want to leave? Tim had to find out, so he ran into the forest and went after her. It was a difficult task, as the small frog jumped easily from place to place, but finally Tim managed to catch her. Why are you chasing me? asked the frog, very irritated. Dont you recognize me? Im Tim, my father owns the paddy field where you live.

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I do not live there anymore, I have decided to move to another place replied the frog Why? What is the matter? said Tim. Your paddy field has become a desert. I feel lonely. All the fish have died. All the other frogs have moved away. What is the point of staying?

At first the frogs words sounded to Tim just like an excuse. His father has always told him stories about the animals one could find in the paddy fields. However, now that he came to think of it, he had seen none of those animals himself. Where did all the animals go? Tim asked the frog after a few seconds of silence.
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Have you noticed that your father is applying many kinds of different chemicals in the paddy fields? replied the frog. Yes! answered Tim, Sometimes I help him. My father says the chemicals, make our crops grow faster and bigger, make the soil more fertile and also keep away harmful plants and animals. Well, those same chemicals are the ones responsible for the animals disappearance, said calmly the frog. How is that possible? Are you sure? Tim asked in disbelief. Yes, I am sure the frog replied. All those chemicals are washed up by the rain and irrigation water. They build up in the canals, lagoons and reservoirs, where many animals live. That is not a natural event, so no animal is adapted to those chemicals. The ones who survive have to move to other fields, free of chemicals, just like I am doing. You mean it wasnt always like this? Tim asked the frog. No, said the frog. Not long ago agriculture was done with traditional methods and no chemicals. You can ask your father how the paddy fields truly were alive then!

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Come with me frog! I will tell all this to my father, and together we will stop the use of chemicals and make the paddy fields become alive again! said Tim enthusiastically. So the story goes that from that day people understood the value having clean water sources, free from all chemicals, after all, pure water is life.

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The gentle giant

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. This had been a very special day for Tim. Today was his sisters seventh birthday, and the whole family gathered to celebrate. It was already dark, and some guests had already left. Inside Tims house everyone was happily talking to each other, playing games or simply looking at the television. Out of nowhere the sound of a firecracker made himself heard, quickly followed but a second one and then a third. This could only mean one thing; there was an elephant in the cultivated fields nearby. In a second everyone was heading for the neighbouring fields, shouting and screaming. In the beginning Tim was scared, but shouted as loud as he could, in hope that the elephant would turn away. There was not a second to loose as an animal that size could do a lot of damage in a small amount of time. But suddenly, everything was over. A riffle shot echoed in the night and the elephant quickly turned back and fled.
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The damages caused by the elephant were small. Even so, some of the men, Tim among them, stayed on the field for a while, just to make sure the elephant would not return, at least that night. After all the uproar was finally over, everyone talked with some enthusiasm of what had just happened. Now with the elephant gone, Tim was telling everyone how he shouted so loud that even the elephant was scared. That night he was also the last one to leave the field. As Tim was leaving, he heard what seemed like someone crying, just a few metres within the forest. Tim was afraid, but at the same time felt that he should help whoever was crying. At night the forest might become a dangerous place for humans, as our vision is very poor in the dark, but even so he was decided to enter the forest. Tim headed straight for the loud moans he could still hear. He knew we was getting closer as the crying was getting louder and louder, however how hard he tried, he didnt see anyone. Tim kept walking, but still no one to be seen. He knew he was close. He could hear someone crying just less than a meter from where he was staying.

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Then Tim was breathless, before him leaning on a fallen log, was an elephant. It was probably the same one who had visited he fields that same night. It was also him who had been crying all this time. Tim could not move a muscle, he tried to speak but no words came out of his mouth.

None of them said anything for quite some time. However the elephant was the first to recover, Please, dont hurt me! I will leave as soon as my leg recovers! he said. Tim was even more startled, not only the elephant was speaking to him, but it did not seem furious at all, just scared like himself. He also noticed a large wound on one of the elephants legs. Why are you crying? Tim finally managed to ask after a few minutes.

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My leg hurts! Ouch!! the elephant replied. I was on my way to meet some of my cousins of the other side of the forest. As it was getting dark I stopped to have a snack, and suddenly there were all these people screaming around me, with loud noises and lights everywhere. I dont know what happened. The elephant continued, My mother taught me this route many years ago when I was just a baby. She told me she used it many times, and so had her mother, and many other generations of elephants before that. These fields are now our farms! You cant eat our crops! What will we eat then? Tim argued. Farms? Never heard about themWhat are they? Replied the elephant truly interested. Tim found himself surprised once more. The elephant wasnt an evil creature, he simply ignored that the villagers had taken control of these lands, which were once forest, the true habitat of the elephant. You see Tim started to explain, sometimes people plant seeds on the ground, take care of them and then collect the plants that grow from the seeds, this is called agriculture, and it is very hard work.

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It was the elephants time to be surprised. That was what all these people were doing on that field, defending their work! They meant no harm to the elephants themselves! If that is the case, the elephant began, I must propose an agreement. I will spread the news about human farms among my fellow elephants and you will convince your human friends to stop the destruction of our natural habitat the forest! What do you say? Deal! replied Tim. And I will also make sure that any uninformed elephant that steps into human farms will not be shot at, but only scared away, what do you say? Excellent idea! said the elephant enthusiastically. Of course Tim and the elephant have not yet managed to tell everyone. That is why some conflicts still exist. This agreement may be, however, the only way to make humans and elephants live peacefully their own lives, just like they used to, for thousands and thousands of years.

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The shy Loris

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. Tim had always felt fascinated by the moon. He could spend many hours just looking at her, particularly at Poia days such as that one. On those days the full moon seemed to illuminate everything just like a miniature sun. Nothing relaxed Tim more than looking at the clear night sky, with millions and millions of tiny stars.

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All this Tim could see from his home garden. It was well past bedtime however he remained well awake, counting the stars in the sky. All of the sudden, he saw some movement just beyond the back of his garden. Something was moving up in the tree branches. Tim couldnt see what animal it was, although it reminded him of some kind of tailless monkey. At first he saw only All this Tim could see from his home garden. It was well past bedtime however he remained well awake, counting the stars in the sky. All of the sudden, he saw some movement just beyond the back of his garden. Something was moving up in the tree branches. Tim couldnt see what animal it was, although it reminded him of some kind of tailless monkey. At first he saw only The loris reply was quick. Well this was our home forest and since the forest was here before any human I guess you are the one which will have to go Tim found himself on the downside of this discussion and so decided to change subject. Why would I want to see you cry? I love animals and I love the forest! Tim stated. You are different from the majority of your kind said one of the loris. Another loris added, Many humans try to catch us because they think we are magical creatures. They use our bones, skins and even our tears for their magical practices.
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That is why we are so afraid. We only come out at night, because that is when people are asleep, and we run to the top of the trees if we see any humans. Why are you telling me all this? asked Tim. We know that you are different from the others. We know that you love the forest and can help us preserve it said the loris. But are you magical? Tim couldnt help to ask. We are made of simple flesh and bone, the loris began. We are no more magical than any other living being. Our magic is the magic of nature, and nature should always be respected not hunted or destroyed. I am still a child, how can I help you? Tim asked, still not sure of himself. Everyone can help, the loris replied. As long as they understand nature, and are willing to explain her ways to everyone who still has not come to recognize nature, as the greatest blessing of all.

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I will try my best! Tim answered enthusiastically. Thank you for trusting me. I will make sure that together loris and humans protect nature and every living being that makes up her equilibrium! That said, the moonlight showed Tim that after all, those words was all that was necessary to see the tear of the loris.

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The spotted encounter

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. As soon as the sun sets, it becomes dark very quickly and Tim was well aware of this. However that day, the excitement of cricket got the best of him. Playing cricket with his friends was always great fun. Tim loved the sport, and as he was a pretty good player everyone wanted to be on his team. That afternoon the game was very tight, with both teams having to call it a draw as there was not enough light to carry on playing. After packing their things each player headed for their home villages. That day Tim was the only player from his village, so he had to walk by himself for the last part of the way. With his cricket bat on his shoulder, Tim walked the forest path just as he had done many times before. However that day was going to be different. That day Tim was not alone on the forest path. From the lower branches of a nearby tree he was being watched.

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Tim was nevertheless completely unaware of all this and still thought about the game. As such, he was very surprised to see what seemed to be a large cat laying on the middle of his way. Even in low light Tim had no doubts, it was a leopard. Hello, I was expecting you, said the leopard. Or did you think you could get away with it that easily? What? You must be mistaken, I dont think we ever met before. My name is Tim and I live in the next village replied Tim, trying to overcome his fear of being face to face with a leopard. I know who you are! Put down your gun and fight with loyalty! the leopard shouted as he jumped to the floor. Gun? replied Tim. All I have is this cricket bat! If you dont believe me see for yourself! as he said this, the cricket bat flew through the air and landed right in front of the leopard. At first the leopard was very suspicious. He was sure that it must be some kind of trick. He first examined the bat without touching him, and then went on to look closer until he concluded that it was in fact just a piece of wood.

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At this time, Tim could not understand what was happening. He could also hardly see anything as it was already dark and the clouds partly covered the moon. Finally he gathered the courage to ask, Why are you so angry? The reply was instantaneous, Dont you read the newspapers? The leopard shouted. Havent you heard of the leopards skins seized by the police last week? Those skins were once leopards and those leopards were once my brothers! Tim knew about this. Last week two leopard skins had been seized by wildlife authorities and several poachers were arrested. Killing endangered species such as the leopard was not allowed and considered a crime.
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Even so hundreds of these protected animals were still caught by poachers with the help of weapons or traps. Tim could understand the leopards rage. It must be very hard to lose the ones close to you. Even more if this loss is motivated by illegal activities that only mind profit, ignoring the respect that all animals deserve. I am not a poacher, I dont have any weapons and I dont know how to set up traps Tim began. I also think that seeking personal revenge is not going to solve the problem. What do you know about this? What difference does it make to you that a leopard lives or dies? the leopard replied angrily. My specie, the human specie, has the duty to protect all the other species and at the same time ensure the preservation of their natural habitat. For that reason if the cause of this problem is human, the solution should also be. The leopard was surprised by Tims words. Then, let human justice be made upon disrespectful humans he finally said. I agree said Tim, and only leopards and humans united can make that happen
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It was getting late. Tim and the leopard, had met as enemies, but said goodbye as friends.

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The call of the forest

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. That night Tim was having trouble to sleep. For some unknown reason, he woke up several times during the night, and was taking much longer than usual to fall back asleep. Near dawn, he decided to get out of bed and see the sunrise as he sometimes did in sleepless nights. So, Tim went out to the garden, sat on the grass and watched the beginning of a new day. As the sun begun to shine, the jungle became alive with dozens of different bird calls. Among all of them, one in particular got Tims attention. This call echoed in the sky above all others. Tim had heard that same call many times before, although he never got to see the bird itself. However that day Tim felt more curious than ever. This time, he would find out who was making that call.

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At first Tim felt very brave, and although there was little light, he entered the forest in a very confident way. However in just a few minutes he understood that in the dark humans are strangers to the forest. Tim could barely see where he put his feet. Still, he had to find his way through all the thorns, fallen logs and termites nests that naturally exist in the forest. Even with all these setbacks, he managed to keep on following the call that could still be distinctively heard.Tim heard he was getting closer, but at the same time he was also getting a little scared about all the shadows dancing around him. Its just the wind and some trees he thought to himself. Even so, he could help but to think some of the old stories he had been told as a child about that forest. The stories talked about forest demons that attack anyone who dares to enter the forest between dusk and dawn. Tim never believed those stories, even as a child, however for some reason he could not help to feel a little scared. And then he saw it. A large shadow moving slowly towards him. He immediately noticed the small horns and the large ears. It was surely a demon.

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Tim ran as fast as his legs could carry him and the forest allowed. He couldnt even think of a place to run to, so he just went straight ahead.

The sun had already appeared fully on the horizon but the dense forest did not allow much light in. In his run to escape the forest demon Tim trips over a tree root, and falls hitting his head on a log. Then everything went blank.

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At first Tim could not see any bird defending it, but as soon as he tried to get up, a brownish hen resembling a bird started pecking his aching head. She was so well camouflaged that even when standing near him, Tim could not see her. Tim woke up some minutes later, with the sun on his face and still struggling to understand what had happened to him. He opened one eye and then the other. There was now much more light reaching the forest floor, and Tim found himself laying in the ground with his head still aching. He was also very surprised to find right next to him a nest, containing three eggs. Get out of here you brute, think you can just jump on top of my eggs? Uhhm, where am I? Who are you? Tim asked still trying to figure out what had happened to him. You seem a little confused replied the bird. You are in the forest, and for some reason you almost landed on my nest! Yes, the forest Tim recalled. Pieces of his memory began coming back to him. Suddenly he looked back and instantly asked in a scared way, Did you see any demons?
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Demons? the hen looking bird replied. I have lived in this forest for many years and have yet to see a demon. At least the demon is gone Though Tim slightly relived. Nevertheless one doubt still seemed to bounce around Tims aching head, who are you? he asked for the second time. She is the most beautifully camouflaged, the most effective nest builder and the affective future mother. She is, Mrs. Junglefowl! That said, the bird appeared revealing his bright colours and making herself heard through his most distinctive trait, his call. This was a call Tim had heard many times, this was the call that had motivated him to enter the forest. By luck he had bumped into a nest of the mysterious owner of the call, the junglefowl. This also reminded Tim that he had been away from home too long without telling his parents, so they might have been worried. It was time to go.

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After wishing the junglefowl the best of luck for the eggs, Tim left in a hurry. He was already near home when he encountered the horned creature he once thought to be a demon. Tim couldnt stop laughing, it was just a cow that had wondered into the forest! The sun was already high in the sky and Tim returned home with a big smile on his face.

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Smart and smelly

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. Tim always tried to escape house chores. However since his father was working at the paddy fields Tim had no choice but to help his mother. That day his task was to empty the dust bin on to the village dumpster. The bin was heavy since it was not emptied for the last couple of days. Luckily the dumpster wasnt far. When eventually Tim managed to bring the dust bin to the dumpster he was very surprised. More than a dozen macaques were happily feeding on the garbage. Tim said nothing and started to empty the bin in silence

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What delicacy do you bring us today? One of the macaques asked. I am only empting the kitchen garbage Tim replied not really sure he had understood the question. Garbage? Humans talk of it like it is a bad thing. All I see is pieces of food lying around. Bananas, grains of rice, onions, even fish, everything is here. I think humans waste way too much food stated the macaque. He is probably right Tim thought, even so I am still not convinced at all. So Tim asked the macaque Dont you have food in the forest? Why do you come here? Why do you choose to eat garbage? We do it because it is much easier than looking for food in the forest, besides, there are normally no predators near human settlements. All we have to do is go to these sites. Furthermore, there are so many humans that there always will be enough food for all of us, we dont have to fight among us. As you can see there are many advantages said the macaque.

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This is not proper food! Tim began. It may carry all kinds of diseases. It may be a hazard for your health as well as for the health of any humans around. I had no idea of such problems, although now that I come to think of it we have been having a great deal more health problems since we came to rely on what you call garbage the macaque began. However, if that is the case, why dont humans dispose their garbage in a safe way? Why do they just leave it lying around like this, near their homes? Tim had to agree with that remark. Without a garbage management plan the health of humans and other animals would be affected. It was in fact the responsibility of humans to make sure that all garbage it disposed properly, so that animals like macaques wouldnt be able to feed on dumpsters. With the dust bin empty Tim returned to his house thinking how much he learned about humans and their environment in such a short encounter.

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. The

charming Snake

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. That afternoon Tim was the first to arrive home. School had ended sooner than expected and no one seemed to be home. His father was certainly still at the paddy fields, and his mother and sister were most probably at the market or visiting some relative. Tim was starving, and went to the kitchen searching for something to eat. He looked around but at first could find nothing, however, as he was leaving the kitchen something caught his eye. Some bananas where lying right next to the kitchen sink. Great luck Tim thought to himself. He took three of them and went to the living room to eat them while he watched television. After a couple of minutes Tim had finished. As he was still hungry, he thought of going back to the kitchen to get some more bananas.

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As he was getting up, Tim noticed a very slim shadow entering the kitchen. That is weird, he though. Mice are not normally around at this time of the day and squirrels have long bushy tails, I wonder what that might be It wasnt until he got to kitchen door that he finally discovered. Lying in the middle of the kitchen floor was a cobra. Tim was petrified at first but then he understood that he should give the snake an escape route since she should probably be more scared than he was. He slowly started to walk away from the door, and as soon as he was just a few meters away from it, the snake quickly left the kitchen. However this was only to stop again a few meters ahead, this time in the middle of the living room.

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The cobra stood upright and opened her characteristic hood, which frightened Tim even further. Why are you here? This is my house! Go away! Tim shouted from a distance at the cobra. I have come in the name of the snake council to make you a question, replied the snake. A question? What kind of question? Tim asked the snake, starting to feel a little curious. Snakes are very important to humans the cobra began. We eat the rats and mice that chew your books and rob your kitchens, we eat the birds that steel the seeds from your fields and we also eat some of the insects that attack your crops. The question I came here to ask you is, if all those things are true, why do humans dislike snakes so much? Tim was taken back by the snakes speech. He had never seen the snakes as helpers but always as a threat, something to be afraid of. I guess, humans dislike snakes because we are afraid of you. Snakes can bite and have venom. Many people die from snake bites.

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The snakes reply was instantaneous. In your country there are 94 species of snakes, and out of those only seven are dangerous to humans. Some humans are also dangerous creatures are they not? Should all humankind then be considered as no good? Tim could find no arguments on his side. After all, the majority should not pay for a minority.

The snaked continued. Please learn about the things you fear, as we all are afraid of what we do not know. That said the cobra left, passing between Tims legs and leaving him standing speechless in the middle of his own living room.
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colours F l ying colour s

Past the blue ocean, in a small island, in a small village lives a small boy. His name is Tim. He is ten years old. Tim lives in a beautiful cottage with his family, his father, his mother and his younger sister Molly. Summer had arrived and so had Tims school holidays. However, at the last moment Tims teacher had assigned a special homework. They were to write about their home gardens. Even the students who did not have one, would have to imagine, and write about what their home garden would be like if they had one. For Tim this was an easy task. The days had been sunny and with the occasional rains his home garden was blooming with colour. There was so much to write about in Tims garden, the flowers, the birds, the sun or even the colours. From Tims bedroom window he could see, many flowers of different shapes, colours and sizes as well as dozens of insects flying around from flower to flower. He could see the working bees, the hovering wasps, the bright dragonflies, the jumping crickets and his favorite insect the colourful butterflies.
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They are going to be my subject for this assignment Tim thought to himself happy to be able to write about such beautiful creatures. He was so exited that he began writing straight away. Butterflies come in all kinds of different sizes, shapes and coulours Tim began. They exist through out the entire planet, wherever plants can grow. In order to reach its adult form the butterfly goes through three stages, egg, caterpillar and pupa. Only after this last stage will the butterfly resemble the elegant flying insect that we see in our gardens. Tim continued, In the first stage the butterfly is just a little egg in a clutch of many. Usually the female butterfly lays several clutches, normally on a plant that will later serve the new born caterpillars as food. The caterpillar is a stage where the butterfly body is very much worm-like. In this stage growth is very important and so feeding is the main activity. Once the caterpillars reach adult size they stop feeding and look for a place to build a cocoon. Inside this cocoon the caterpillars slowly turn into the butterflies we see in our gardens. This process is called metamorphosis.

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Although they are beautiful creatures, and seem to be admired by everyone, some butterfly species are at risk of extinction. The changes in farming and the use of chemicals are destroying these species habitats and since butterflies will often feed on only one single species of plant they are very delicate. It is up to each and every one of us to protect these amazing creatures, Tim concluded. After checking his assignment for any mistakes, Tim went outside and spent the whole afternoon watching his home garden and all his inhabitants.

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Acknowledgments
The author would like to acknowledge the seemingly infinite patience and skill of artists Mr. Asanka De Zoysa and Mr. Samantha Kumara without whom this publication would have lost most of its magic. The author would also like to acknowledge the most valuable language revision of Miss Roxanne Brown and last but certainly not least thank Ms. Sudarshani Fernando and Mr. Sujeewa Jasinghe for the time wasted in successive draft readings.

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The CES was established in January 1998 by a group of interdisciplinary researchers whose aim was to create a Institute for participatory eco-cultural development in Sri Lanka through research, education, awareness and community development. Registered as a Non-governmental Environmental Research Institute Registration No: 6/6/17/1/47 CES is concerned with issues pertaining to the present eco-cultural status of Sri Lanka and advocates sustainable measures to suit the local environment and cultures. Collaborative undertakings with other eco-culture friendly institutes will create an extensive network to promote awareness and foster eco-cultural development in Sri Lanka. The majority of CES members are presently involved in various consultancy and research-oriented activities for Government and Non-governmental concerns as well as universities. Objectives Conduct eco-cultural studies Conduct eco-cultural education, awareness and training programmes Establish and maintain an exhibition centre Promote environment friendly local industries to assist village communities Promote eco-cultural tourism in Sri Lanka

CENTRE FOR ECO-CULTURAL STUDIES (CES)

Diyakapilla, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka Telephone : 066 56701654 0788753710, Email:centeco@sltnet.lk centeco@sltnet.lk Website: www.cessrilanka.org