KATHMANDU: The Children’s Expo 2008 at the Direction Exhibition and Convention Centre in United World Trade Centre was a welcome respite for both parents as well as children. With the winter vacation going on most parents are having tough time keeping their little ones engaged.

The five-day long event, which started on December 31, had a variety of stalls catering to children’s need under one roof. From books and other educational material to toys and face painting and other games, children did not only have the chance to spend some fun time at the venue but can also were able to take home lots of goodies to play with and read during the vacation.

Children of different ages were seen queuing up to get their IQ tested at a special stall. The face painting stall and the bouncy castle were other popular places with the children. The expo also had stalls from dental colleges and couple of pre-schools and one could see parents getting necessary information from these stalls. The expo also included bookstalls and stalls from different brands of baby products.

Bandana Sakha, who had come with her four-and-a-half-year-old son, pointed out that there should have been more stalls from schools.

She then added, “At times children trouble you asking to buy some toys and it’s hard to convince them why we can’t.”

Father of six-year-old son Sharad Tuladhar who found the expo “almost balanced” shared, “I think there should have been more bookstalls.” He further said that he was hoping to find some information about primary schools for his son.

Organised by Direction Nepal with support form Kidzee, the expo is on till January 4.