Boogie in the Barn

Boogie in the Barn returns to Hanger Farm Arts Centre on Thursday 6 and Thursday 20 August, both sessions starting at 10:00 AM. It's a movement and music session for under-fives, and the two dates fall during the August summer holidays, so it's one of those things you can slot into the school break when you're looking for a morning out with the little ones.

The session takes place in the centre's converted 18th-century timber barn, which they fill with nursery rhymes, popular family songs and world music. The little ones clap, tap, sway and twirl along, and there are plenty of hands-on props to get them stuck in: instruments, ribbons, play parachutes and bubbles. It's a format built to support early years physical coordination, social confidence and creative expression, and the parents and carers join in alongside the children rather than watching from the sidelines.

Because it's an under-fives session, it's as much about the movement as the music. The songs and rhymes provide the structure, but the props — the ribbons, the parachutes, the bubbles — are what keep the energy up and the kids engaged. It's the kind of thing that works best when you're right in the middle of it, so be prepared to get involved yourself.

Both sessions run on Thursday mornings during the August summer holidays at Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Aikman Lane, West Totton, Southampton (SO40 8FT). The first child is £3 and the second is £2, and they both start at 10:00 AM.