Starchild: Malaysian children love flowers in all shapes and colours

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 3

Flowers are mother nature’s best gift to mankind. They are beautiful and are often a part of the most important occassions in our lives like birthdays, weddings and other celebrations.

Flowers come in different shapes, colours and sizes. They can be as big as the rafflesia or as tiny as watermeal, which is the smallest flower in the world.

Different flowers symbolise different feelings too. Red roses are usually to show your love for someone while carnations are often to express love to mothers.

The next time you step foot in a flower garden, take a few minutes to admire these beautiful gifts from Mother Nature.

Here’s what Starchild readers had to say on the topic, Flowers.

“My favourite flower is the daisy. Did you know that daisies symbolise innocence and purity? I like daisies because these flowers look beautiful, simple and smell good, ” writes Amira Qaireena Noorizal, 12.

Debria Preethi Jeyarajah, 9

Nine-year-old Debria Preethi Jeyarajah’s favourite flower is the lily, which is Italy’s national flower. “There are many types of flowers all around the world. Lilies grow from bulbs and have big flowers. Lilies come in various colours, such as white, pink and yellow. My grandmother grows Easter lilies in her garden.”

Elena Shreeya Vasu, 11

“Some of favourite flowers are lavender, orchids, lotus and tulips. The colours of these owers are unique and they are very pretty. Lavender flowers are made into essential oil. Lotus is a symbol of purity and enlightenment. Tulips are part of the lily family, ” writes Elena Shreeya Vasu, 11.

Jodie Tan Li Juen, 11

“I love flowers because of their colour, shape and fragrance. I like red and pink flowers the most as they symbolise love, passion and happiness. Flowers are important as they can feed insects and birds. they provide natural medicines to animals and humans. Without flowers, the world would be less attractive and dull, ” writes Jodie Tan Li Juen, 11.

Jayden Tan Li Sheng, 8

Younger sibling Jayden Tan Li Sheng, eight, writes: "Flowers can be used as gifts. It brings calmness and happiness. We can use flowers to decorate our house. The vast usage of flowers makes it one of the most likable things on earth. I will choose tulips for my mother and sisters as they symbolise unconditional love.”

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 3

“Like little children need food, flowers need water and sunshine to grow well. I often water our house plants so they do not wither in our hot weather, says Asher Wang Qi Chuen, three.

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 6

Older sister Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, six, likes all types of flowers because they are God's beautiful creation. “A flower's beauty and fragrance are important to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to help them pollinate. A person who studies plants is called a botanist.”

Claire Yap Jyn Wei, 5

Claire Yap Jyn Wei, five, writes: “There are many types of flowers. My sister, Sophie, and I like to plant flowers. Bees are helpful in pollinating flowers. When bees land on a flower, pollen – a powdery substance produced by flowers, gets stuck to their legs. Bees help to move the pollen from one flower to another. This helps in the reproduction of more flowers.”

Sophie Yap Jyn Qing, 8

“I like flowers because they look nice and smell sweet. They are also useful to make flower chains. The flowers’ roots, leaves, stems and petals have important functions. Petals are helpful in attracting insects for pollination. Leaves enable photosynthesis to happen. The stem holds flowers upright, ” says Sophie Yap Jyn Qing, eight.

Joshua Ariiyaa Sures, 7

“Sunflower is my favourite flower. Sunflowers are yellow and that’s my favourite colour, ” says Joshua Ariiyaa Sures, seven.

Gabbriel Sidartaan Sures, 6

“Younger sibling Gabbriel Sidartaan Sures, six, writes: “I like hibiscus because they are red and shiny. My mother likes hibiscus too.” – Compiled by Sheela Chandran

Find the hidden words!

ITEM: April 22 is Earth Day which reminds us of the importance of protecting the environment. Do give suggestions on how children can help to keep their environment safe and clean in conjunction with Earth Day. Don’t forget to include you illustrations for this week’s topic.

E-mail your contributions to [e-mail] by April 9. Please put “STARCHILD:Earth Day in the subject line of your e-mail. Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200 dpi.

Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact, and address.