Let's promote international fraternity and harmony among children

Happy Children's Day!!!!

Some Important Facts about Children’s…………!!
Children make you want to start life over.
Children are the keys of paradise.

The best thing to spend on your children is your time.
Give a little love to a child and you will get a great deal back.
Children have more need of models, than of critics.
A child mis-educated is a child lost.Happy Children’s Day

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Children's Day is an occasion celebrated on various days in many places around the world. International Children's Day is celebrated on June 1 and Universal Children's Day is on November 20.

In Sri Lanka we celebrate Children's Day on October 1. Other countries celebrate a local Children's Day on other dates.

Children's Day is celebrated on assorted days in many places around the world, to honor children globally. It was conventional in 1954 to protect children working long hours in circumstances and allow all children access to an education. 

The UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should establish a Universal Children's Day on an "appropriate" day. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation. 

 Such a treasure your precious child is,
who will thrive on every hug and kiss.
Hold them close and sing them songs;
they will only be a child for so long.
Happy Children’s Day…..

Friendship Forever!

Friends Forever is devoted to promoting peace in historically anxious global regions by teaching young people of different trust that they are more alike than different. Friends Forever believes that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders, and lay the foundation for long-term positive relationships that they then carry back home to educate and power their own communities in open-minded behavior. 

Friends Forever does not believe there is one set path to peace, but rather that the number of solutions to conflicts in the world today equals the number of individuals that participate in our program. 

Ashani and Myself

Myself, Susima & Ashani

 A friend shares the good times and helps out by listening during the bad times.A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.  

Ahmadh, Hirushi & Meera

Hirushi, Sashya, Meera, Dileepa, nadeera, Amr, Ahmadh

A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

How To Get Better Grades

Get The Best Grades With the Least Amount of Effort is a unique collection of the most powerful learning techniques to help you become a SUPER-LEARNER and master any subject and any skill faster than most people, while still having fun!”

How to study hard????? is an essential question that you should ask yourself from time to time. 

From the first glance this questions seems easy however as you think in depth your realize that there are many insights in this question. Finding a good studying tactic is recommendable because in this way you will save a lot of time and energy. So in order to know how to study hard you have to try different studying methods and see which one is working better for you.

Concentrate on your studies from the very beginning of the academic year. More concentrate you are at the beginning of the year the better will be your results at the end of the year. From the first day of the class tell yourself that you are going to learn a lot from this course and you will receive a good grade. This is important that you start the semester with good mood and with the idea of studying as much as you can. 

Try to keep this mood until the end of the semester and you will see a positive impact on your grades also you will learn the material better.

If you are still confused on how to study hard this last point might help you. Study for the exams in advance and do not leave everything for the last day. According to many students last minute studying has not been productive and they failed the exam. The material you are studying needs to be digested in your mind and it takes time.

There are students who study every day little by little for the exam so as the exam day approaches they will start reviewing for the exam. Reviewing and studying are different things and students should review the material for the exam the night before not study it.

Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort is a priceless collection of proven tips, tools and techniques to turn you into a super-achiever - even if you've never thought of yourself as a "gifted" student.

Critical Ways You Can Stop Wasting Time Today

Are you one of those people who are always wasting time? You are doing something else when you should be getting your work done? Everybody has a procrastination habit that they don’t want to admit to. So how are you going to kick this habit? With the help of the below critical ways if you agree you can stop wasting time. Think ahead and try to make use of this.

1. Stop random email checks

Popping in and out of your inbox creates a “start-stop-start” pattern of work activity. Your wasted time quickly adds up when you consider the time it takes to refocus after each stop. A dozen email trips each day can cost you one completed product each week. 
Unless you are expecting an important task-related message, each day you should schedule the 3 specific time slots for checking email: mid-morning, after lunch, and mid-afternoon. For that matter, the same goes for your voice mail, text messages and other smartphone-related activities. Reduce these harmful interruptions by sticking to a set schedule.

2. Don’t be an interruption magnet

Let’s face it, some people are more open to distractions than others. Do you find yourself beginning work on a priority task only to be interrupted by a passing co-worker? It’s possible that you are inviting distraction into your world like a magnet.Learning the self-discipline to stay on task doesn’t always come naturally. But remember — when you prioritize a task as highly important, you’re giving yourself permission to shut yourself off from interruptions.

3. End your silent procrastination

Procrastination is usually easy to spot, especially when you’re playing solitaire, scrolling Facebook or gazing out the office window. But there’s another type of procrastination that involves “busywork” — working on non-essential tasks. I call it the “silent killer” because you may not even realize you’re doing anything wrong.

Any time you spend on less important activities is a step backward, especially when time-sensitive priority tasks and goals are concerned. Structuring your task time works because it provides an appealing set of instructions in your mind about when to start and when to stop.

4.Plan your day

Have a checklist of what you have to do for that day. Try putting your checklist in order too. Say like you have to go to the store in the morning, put it as number 1. Number 2 could be clean the house. Make your check list as practical as possible. If you do have a checklist and you did not plan in what order you should be doing, you will most probably only be able to complete half of your checklist. 

Most importantly, remember to make every second count! So start today! Remember, time waits for no man!

Good Practices for Debate Competitions

However, the Topic Guide provides a good summary of the core arguments for and against the motion, and it's a good place to start your research from.

Start researching early

Tackle the research head on. Start early and read everything that you can, the Topic Guides are essential. Don't just stick to your side of the argument though, read your opposition's articles and try and anticipate what they will attack you with. If you are already prepared for some responses, then you won't be wrong-footed as easily. However, don't rely on this and remember to work with the flow of the debate. Further reading is great too, read around the subject but be prepared to justify your points and cite your references for statistics.

Don’t be deferent!

A lot of your time on the floor will be spent responding to both judges and your opposition, and some participants fall down in retreating from their original assertions when confronted by criticism from the panel of experts. In my experience, confidence in defending your arguments from the criticisms made by the judges is critical in the overall result. Don't be afraid of offending them! Some of the most successful teams pick up a lot of points in criticising the focus of the judges' questions. Answer them directly, but don't let them subvert or change the course of what you're trying to say. Tackle them head on.

Be Bold!

Often, people will try to interpret a debate too narrowly. The debates are carefully selected so that there are good arguments to be made on either side, narrowing the debate could show a lack of understanding or confidence, so grasp the debate fully and be bold in what you say. Often a strong position can bring out the issues at the heart of the debate, allowing you to flourish more visibly with your coherent arguments!

Don’t back down!

Unfortunately for some of us, during the competition we can often find ourselves arguing for motions with which we disagree. Far too many competitors, in realising this, seek to compromise with their position in order to reach a more balanced, 'neutral' sentiment. It's understandable, but fundamentally not an effective way of winning the argument in Debating Matters. The judges will be looking for your ability to take your argument to its ultimate logical conclusion, and defend the most radical of suggestions with skill. If you see your opposition succumbing to this desire to extend the olive branch, do not hesitate to get stuck in.

Statistics are good but…

Use them to support your points but beware! It is very easy to find statistics from your perspective but be prepared to back them up with multiple sources and always cite your references and sources. It is very easy to become over reliant on them, so don't depend on them. There is a good balance between arguments and evidence, so try and aim for a good mix with statistics only when needed.

Know your argument

Know your argument, but be flexible with it. It is quite possible that somebody will offer a new perspective on your argument. This does not necessarily directly contradict what you have said, but might prove a good discussion point. The ability to respond to these new ideas, while linking them to your original argument, will demonstrate the ability to listen, think, and respond to different points.

Judges questions: don’t panic!

The judges will probably go straight for your arguments, so don't panic! Stand your ground and fight hard on points. If they ask tough questions, take a little bit of time to consider your answer. It is very easy to get wrong footed and jump into something too quickly and end up saying things you later regret. Take your time and address each question without rushing. Remember there are two of you, so work together with your partner to help give a united front. At this point, make sure you are sticking to the debate topic too, the judges may be giving you subtle hints if they feel the debate isn't quite on track, so be sure to pick up on this if it is the case.

Take a principled stand

The judges will be looking for your ability to defend your position to the extreme. Make sure you know your position inside out before you compete, as there is no room for altering the intention of your motion in the Debating Matters structure. Be prepared to take on some uncomfortable and fundamental positions - don't draw back from defending principles which are difficult to tackle in public debate. Your ability to challenge the fundamental assumptions and values that lie behind contemporary debates will be rewarded.

Audience questions

Do not underestimate this section. This lasts a long time when you are under fire from all angles but this is a very important part of the debate. Tackle as many questions you feel comfortable with and try to pick up on questions that are in support of your side. During this section, start thinking about the closing summations and really try to pick up on any particularly weak area of your opponent's arguments.

Read the news

Talk about current issues with friends and relatives. If you keep generally up to date with the news and current affairs, this might be relevant in one of the future debates and helps to get your mindset into a debating and critical one, which I found very useful. Practicing with your team is also good, our team did this a lot anyway before we even started debating and it can be quite interesting and thought provoking to hear and respond to other people's opinions.

Understand the material

Understand the material - if you have well prepared speeches, but also a strong command of the facts and ideas surrounding the issue, you will find it far easier to respond to counter-arguments and points from the floor that you may not have considered. The Topic Guides are an excellent starting point for this - they focus on the heart of the debate. Talk through the issue with friends and relatives - often such informal discussion will help to build up interest in the subject and aid the formation of a coherent argument.

Speak slowly

Try and stay calm and speak slowly. Whilst the time limit is fairly tight, it is better to have a calm and mannered presentation than a rushed one which tries to cram too much in. Place your strongest arguments first to get them into the debate early, don't leave key arguments until later as you may not get the chance to use them. That said, saving a few little bits of information or smaller arguments for later on can work very nicely and help to sway the debate in your favour during the cross-examination.

Enjoy yourself!

I think the most important thing is to enjoy yourself and to have fun, which sounds clichéd and tedious, but I loved every minute of the competition. I took a lot of valuable experience with me and I honestly never expected to get past the Qualifying Rounds. Whilst you are there chat to people, make new friends and throw yourself into every debate, whether you are watching or taking part.

How to Win a Debate Competition

The very purpose behind participating in a debate is to make others agree to your point of view. The commonest of mistake that debaters make is to passionately start arguing about what they feel is correct. 

Let me tell you, this is not going to make you a winner in a debating competition. Debating in no way means that you end up arguing with your opponent. 

Your main purpose is to connect with your audience and judges, and convince them that what you are saying is right. The following tips for winning a debate completion will further help you out.

Be Well Prepared
This is very important. If you already know the topic that you are going to debate on, learn as much about it as you can. Research on it extensively and then form opinions about it. Read books, magazines and explore the topic on the Internet. Remember, only if you know something in and out, will you be able to talk convincingly on it.

Be Confident
When you are putting your point in front of your opponent as well as the audience, be very confident and assertive. Along with the words, your body language, voice modulation and eye contact, will play a major part in your success in debating. So, practice with friends or in front of the mirror everyday before the competition, so that you are confident about yourself. 

Make a Connection
As mentioned before, winning a debate has more to do with your ability to win over your audience as well as the panel of judges, than to score a point over your opponent. So, during the debate, try to connect as much as you can with your audience. If you have some fresh ideas, put them across in such a way that the judges and the audience is forced to open up their minds to them. Promote dialog, instead of arguing with your opponent. This will definitely help you earn many brownie points over your opponent. 

Give Real Life Examples
While debating, make use of very simple language, which your audience can understand very easily, and give as many real examples as you can, when making a point. If to prove your point, you tell something which you or someone else has personally experienced, the audience will find you much more convincing.

Be Rational
Although it may seem a bit difficult, yet, if you do not get emotionally involved in the debate, if you are detached about the whole issue that you are debating, however strongly you feel about it, it will increase your efficiency. If you debate in a simple, detached and rational manner, without getting overtly emotional about the topic at hand, your clarity of thought and straightforwardness is bound to show up, thus increasing the efficacy of your point of view. Also, during the debate, whatever your opponent says, do not ever take it personally! 

Be Descriptive
To win any debate, there is something about the human mind that you should be aware of. The thing with us humans is that if we see something, we believe and remember it much more than something we merely hear! So, apply the same thing while debating too, i.e. be descriptive while putting forth your point of view, and try to paint a picture of the same in the mind of your audience. Tell your point of view in such a way that the audience can actually "see" what you are saying. If you are somehow able to pull this off, there is no denying the fact that you will emerge as the winner of the debate competition! 

With these tips on debating, I am sure that now you have some basic idea on how to go about it. When it comes to debating, it always pays to be well read and knowledgeable, not only about the topic at hand, but also about lots of other things, as it helps you form your thoughts, feelings and opinions on many other things in life. 

Coming back to debating competitions, as with everything else, practice is what will make you perfect and successful. So practice, participate in as many debating contests as you can, follow the tips mentioned above, and with time, you will see yourself winning over your audience and judges!

During the competition

·         Stay calm and composed. Concentrate to all what the quiz master says. It is normal to be a bit nervous in the beginning but see to it that this should wear out as the contest progresses.

·         If you come across with easy questions in the beginning of the competition and you failed to answer it correctly forget about his quickly and try to bounce back stronger in the succeeding questions.

If you win then bask in your sweet victory otherwise it is not the end of the world yet if ever you lose. There is no regret when you get humbled by better competitors. Display sportsmanship no matter what will be the outcome of the contest.

How to win in quiz bee competition

Quiz competition is truly one of the most anticipated events in different school levels – primary, secondary and tertiary. It attempts to test the intellectual abilities of the students in various fields of endeavors such as mathematics, science, general knowledge, current events, literature, history and social science.

The students that are equipped with enormous “stock knowledge,” are tipped to pull through from a tough field composed of the brightest and smartest competitors. But in order to amass ample stock knowledge an aspirant must be able to come up with a comprehensive preparation and must be armed with techniques, strategies and right character.

There is nothing to lose on the part of the underdogs, but on the part of the favorites eking out a victory is a big deal. There is so much at stake here such as honor, pride, bragging rights and respect of peers and the members of the staff and faculty of the school. A lofty finish can also reinforce resume and curriculum vitae in the coming years. And last but definitely not the least, a hard earned triumph can give enormous joy and pride in your heart.

Here is a list of useful tips to help you perform better in Quiz competition and possibly help you land in the top three:

·         Thorough preparation is a must. Do your best to make yourself versatile in different field of endeavors. Constant reading and solving numerous math problems will help a lot.

·         Once you have a solid foundation by virtue of bolstering your basic know-how, try to keep on raising the bar one notch higher by keep on tackling more advance topics.

·         Trending is of essence. You must know the style of the provider of the questions and if possible research the type of questions that are being asked in the competition in the previous years.

·         With regards to mathematics, you must have your hands full in solving simple to intricate word problems. Arm yourself with the different techniques in solving different problems like work, rate, digit, age and the like. Sound problem skills will also help you steer clear from Science, Geometry and Trigonometry problems.

·         Keep updated with the important current events that happened all across the globe and in your country.

·         Stay focused and do not let distractions hamper your preparations.

·         Do not depend on prayers alone. You will perform well if you also do your part of coming up with a solid preparation.

·         Watch actual Quizcompetitions in TV, in your place or in the internet to get acquainted with the different questions and the atmosphere of the contest.