October Half-term in Hedge End

As well as the farm residents to welcome you and the normal farmyard activities to enjoy, you’ll find a week of ‘spooky goings-on’ down on the farm at Manor Farm Country Park, Pylands Lane, from Saturday 23 through to Sunday 31 October.

A wizard’s workshop with creepy craft sessions is coming to Mrs Earwicker's haunted farmhouse, plus there’ll be broomstick flying lessons and a chance to brush up on your spells in the schoolhouse.

Children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times and the cost is included in the normal farm admission charge. Phone 01489 787055 for more information.

Ghosts and witches are also the themes for half-term activities at Itchen Valley Country Park where you can follow a Halloween Trail anytime between Saturday 23 and Sunday 31 October, 10.30am to 3.30 pm. It costs £1.75 per trail pack and there are prizes for solving clues along the way.

On Monday 25 October it’s Colourful Cookies morning at the park. Ladies from Little Rose Bakery in Bishop’s Waltham will be on hand to help you make biscuits decorated with a Halloween theme. Cost is £1.50 per biscuit.

On Tuesday you can have a go a making leaf mobiles (cost £1.50 per mobile), on Wednesday a glass Halloween lantern (£3.00 per lantern) and on Thursday a bird feeder (50p).

You can drop in for any of these morning sessions at Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane, between 1030am and 12.30pm – and for more information phone 023 8046 6091.

The d.@art Centre at Wildern School is holding various events during the half-term week of 25-29 October, all of which run from 10am to 3pm and the organisers advise that children are supervised during the lunch-break.

The week begins with a Thriller! Street dance workshop for 8+ and with an invitation to arrive in ‘Zombie gear ready to learn the famous Michael Jackson classic!’.

For 7s and under on the Monday it’s Ben 10 Day, with face painting, dressing up, cutting and sticking in  Ben 10 alien style.

MultiArts Day on Tuesday 26 October means creative arts activities on offer for a mixed group of young people with or without varying disabilities and for under 7s on Tuesday it’s Hannah Montana Day with karaoke, dressing up, designing, drawing, and ‘having fun as Hannah Montana for the day!’

Fancy a who-dunnit? On Wednesday there’s a murder mystery dinner incorporating drama and story-telling for 8s and over and for the younger children ghost stories, scary mask making and mummifying (they don’t say what you’ll be mummifying, and so do please let Hedgeendpeople know if you go as I’m intrigued.... )

It’s time to get creative in the kitchen for 8s and over on Thursday with Halloween Creative Cookery and for 7s and under it’s Halloween Splashdown Art day – den building, pumpkin design and a drama game for ‘ghastly goblins’.

On Friday if you’re 8 or over you can make your own version of a stop-frame animation ‘scary movie', using hand-made characters and hand-drawn scenes, or there’s Bonfire Fun for the 7s and under where you can learn the story of Guy Fawkes and create ‘your own black night sky bursting with fireworks ready for November 5th!’

All events are £15.00 apart from the MultiArts Day on Tuesday for which there is no charge and no age restriction either. The minimum age for the 7s and under events is 4.

Call 01489 779471for more information about events at the d.@art Centre.

On Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 October Bursledon Windmill is hosting an event called ‘Go silly with Semolina.’

This is an invitation to make flour, then to separate it into fine white flour, middlings (semolina) and bran and to create temporary pictures with the semolina using stencils on coloured cloths. Once you shake the cloth the picture disappears, but you can create a longer lasting image with coloured card, glue and flour to take home.

The event is free, is for families with children of all ages and you can drop in anytime between 10am and 4pm. Phone 0845 603 5635 for further details.