A child who had just completed his traffic safety training at the iThra Exhibition summed up the objective of the program in a nutshell when he met his father who was waiting for him at the exit: “Using your mobile phone while driving is a big and dangerous mistake.”

Creating traffic safety awareness in this child’s case has succeeded and the child who will, in a few years, be driving has learned the rules and is already beginning to influence others.

The “Traffic Safety Program” is only one part of eight different exhibitions of Saudi Aramco’s iThra Knowledge program at Riyadh Exhibition Center on King Abdullah Road. The month-long exhibition ended Friday. It has already welcomed more than half a million visitors.

The program, which aims to educate and transfer knowledge through entertainment, is for all family members. It has already been to Jeddah, Dhahran and Al-Ahsa. The total number of visitors has surpassed 2 million.

Exhibitions such as “Names of Allah,” “1001 Inventions” and “Energy Efficiency” show a tremendous effort in the thought process that brought about the delivery of information and the vehicle of delivery. Both are creative and entertaining, including interactive screens and theatrical performances by live actors. There are, on the other hand, other pavilions that are very popular with children, especially “Traffic Safety Village.”

A five-stage program with lectures on traffic safety for drivers and pedestrians is included. It moves participating children to the field to implement what they have learned while driving their mini-vehicles before graduating and earning a mock driving license. More than 15,000 such licenses have already been issued to little drivers and the children participating have shown a huge interest and willingness to absorb the information. They have to deal with traffic lights, parking and seat belts among other aspects of safety that is essential for a safe driver.

Cheers and smiles show the extent of satisfaction for these little drivers, as well as their trainers at the end of the 30-minute training session and when their traffic licenses are issued. The program takes place around 12 times everyday with around 60 children per session.

The “LEGO Corner” is another attraction. Not only is it entertaining and lots of fun, it also develops skills and creativity. The “LEGO Corner” offers two sections; the first is for children below the age of five years, and the other is for those above that age.

A 4x2-meter platform is used to implement the imagination and build the models they have envisioned in an atmosphere designed to be stress-free and entertaining. LEGO is considered very useful for developing social skills and building trust for children since it encourages thinking abilities which are fun, and opens new horizons for imagination and creativity.

Another attraction is “The Tinkering Studio,” which consists of short workshops that give children the opportunity to conduct scientific experiments which help them understand physics and mathematical theories. The studio was designed in cooperation with the science museum “Exploratorium” in San Francisco. The studio works on connecting the ability to encourage bright young minds by helping them to believe in their abilities through direct experimentation and igniting their curiosity.

The “Art Cafe” is another corner that offers a variety of workshops on calligraphy, art and antiques presented by Arab creative artists. The cafe aims to build a bridge between art and the new generation and presents it as a means of identity to Saudi culture by encouraging audiences as a whole to take part in the will to express and characterize emotions and skills through art.

Elephants, kangaroos, giraffes and jungle birds move around the pavilions to entertain children three times a day and this has turned out to be a popular attraction. Children love interacting with these characters in their colorful costumes.

Visiting Saudi Aramco’s iThra program is educational and entertaining for the entire family, but it seems that children really like it and bring their families back again and again.