Charlotte Smarty Pants

Rachel Busby

March 6, 2015

Fitness Friday: Flywheel’s Abby

It is hard to believe that three short years ago I fell in love with Flywheel. It was my pleasure to get up with Abby to find out some of the questions that have entered my mind while I am doing abs during Flybarre or some other pose that feels so uncomfortable (uncomfortable good, of course) that my mind has to escape in order to get through the move. Abby is one of the instructors that teach both Flybarre and Flywheel. She has amazing energy that makes her classes super fun. If you have never been to Flybarre or Flywheel, you can always try your first class for FREE, just log on and they will hook you up. Here is my convo with Abby!

I see you are sporting a short hair cut, I love it! Do you miss your long hair?
I don’t miss my long hair. Actually, not at all. The short cut is so easy and I love how funky it makes me feel. I definitely feel like it fits my personality better.

Where is your favorite place to shop for exercise gear?
Lululemon. I am obsessed. I think I have an addiction, lol.

Are there any moves barre moves that we can do at home?
I think a plank while watching TV is one of the best things you can do. It strengthens your core and can be effective in a short amount of time. I also do push-ups and tricep dips on the floor while hanging out at home. You could also totally put on a 4 minute song and rock some wide second as well while fixing your hair. Read More →

CSP Team

Smarty Giveaway: Win a Four-Pack of Tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters 3/28

The Harlem Globetrotters are a national institution and an American icon. You could be anywhere in the world and if you hear their signature whistled theme song, you’d instantly think “Harlem Globetrotters!” For 88 years, the Harlem Globetrotters have been wowing crowds through more than 25,000 games, entertaining everyone from Presidents to Popes.

If you are not familiar with the Harlem Globetrotters, read on.

They are known as “the magicians of basketball” and this exhibition basketball team travels the world to show-off their brilliant skills. The show is a great mix of supreme athletics, theater and a comedy routine. It’s good ‘ole fashioned family fun at its finest that has thrilled audiences for generations. Check out this amazing video – this will pump up your entire family for a great show.

From our friends at Harlem Globetrotters:

The world famous Harlem Globetrotters, featuring some of the greatest athletes and entertainers on the planet, will bring their unrivaled family show to UNC Charlotte’s Halton Arena on Saturday, March 28 for games at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. during the Harlem Globetrotters 2015 “Washington Generals’ Revenge” Tour.

The Globetrotters will face a great challenge this year, as the infamous Washington Generals are more determined than ever to match the franchise’s historic last victory over the Globetrotters nearly a half century ago. It has been five years since the Globetrotters and Generals have faced off, as the Generals have been searching far and wide for the best players to retool their roster and have been preparing for one thing: victory over the Globetrotters. Read More →

Guest Blogger

March 5, 2015

Smarty 2015 Summer Camp Guide: Charlotte Latin School

Our 2015 Smarty Summer Camp Guide continues with our friends at Charlotte Latin School.

For 2015, Charlotte Latin School is offering a variety of cooking, bookmaking, fine arts, arts and crafts, and STEM courses. Charlotte Latin Summer Programs offers half-day and full-day camps for children who are ages 3 to 18 years old. Seven weekly sessions are available with options for 9 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. programs. A free-of-charge, supervised lunch hour that includes lunch and games is available to children who participate in both a morning and an afternoon program. Charlotte Latin’s most popular programs are offered multiple times during the summer.

New! Imaginative play and camps for children who are three to four years old and Camp Victor are offered new this year. CAMP VICTOR is a full-day enrichment and educational camp. Each week, Camp Victor features a fun, engaging theme where students are immersed in exciting and educational activities. With a camper to teacher/counselor ratio of no more than 15:1, Camp Victor offers a unique, growth-promoting day camp experience.

Camp Victor options include: The Rollie Pollies (rising grades K and 1), Blue Crew (rising grades 2 and 3), and Top Hawks (rising grades 4 and 5). Campers will participate in a variety of activities. Camp Victor tuition includes a full day of activities, a daily boxed lunch, and before- and after-camp care. Sibling tuition discounts for siblings are offered for Camp Victor. Read More →

CSP Team

From the Smarty Education Corner: Meet Foreign Language League!

Hola, Ni Hao, Bonjour, Ciao! Are you interested in having your child learn a different language? Well we have a treat for you. Smarties, meet the Foreign Language League!

Choose from Spanish, Mandarin, French and Italian. Kids as young as 18 months up to adults will master a new language in a fun and dynamic environment. Your child will learn to think, speak, read and write a second language in a small group, once a week, 45 – minute full immersion class. They use culturally-based music, art, games and stories to teach your child a second language in a fun environment. Children play, sing and dance while learning a second language!

Foreign Language League uses several different methods to effectively teach their classes. Total Physical Response (TPR) exposes children to a new target language using activities that provide a variety of ways to absorb and respond to a language before speaking it. The Rassias Method exposes learners to a new language through dramatic communication and the Multiple Intelligence Theory suggests learners acquire new information in a variety of ways such as musical, verbal, tactile and visual. Their goal is for children and adults to have fun while learning their target language. Read More →

Guest Blogger

Smarty Alert: 4 More Days to Enroll Your Child at VERITAS Community School!

By Katy Ridnouer, Founder and Board Chair of VERITAS Community School, a Public Charter with a Mindful Mission and Vision.

As parents, we love to watch our children get lost in doing something they love. Maybe it’s dancing or magic tricks or running or drawing. Whatever it is, if you’re like me, you begin thinking, “Maybe she’ll be an Olympian,” or “Maybe he’s the next Monet.” Our children are already doing what elite performers do: They love what they do. A common misconception about elite performers is that they work harder than everyone else. The truth is, at some point, elite performers fall in love with practice to the point where there is little else they want to do. That’s what separates the average cellist from the first chair cellist.

Author Malcolm Gladwell discusses this concept in Outliers where he discusses why we need 10,000 hours of dedicated work to achieve mastery in a field. It is by no coincidence then that typical students attend school for just over 10,000 hours by the time they graduate from high school. As a culture, we have quantified the number of years and hours that a person needs to achieve readiness for adulthood and mastery in the necessary skills for adulthood as 13 years and approximately 13,000 hours. This is built into the system, yet far too many students (60% of students for at least one subject) need remedial courses before they will be ready for college-level courses. Something has gone awry. Read More →

Guest Blogger

March 4, 2015

Smarty 2015 Summer Camp Guide: Charlotte Country Day School

Our 2015 Smarty Summer Camp Guide continues with our friends at Charlotte Country Day School.

Are you ready for a GREAT summer? Sign up for Summer Programs at Charlotte Country Day School! With more than 200 creative classes, high school credit courses, and challenging sports camps, our Summer Programs are designed for children as young as three-years-old to those who will be seniors in high school. Whether you’re looking to expand your skills or make new friends, Country Day has the camp for you!

We offer:
– Camps from June 1–August 14, ranging from one to five weeks long
– Half-day and full-day, morning, and afternoon camp options
– Academic camps offered for students in grades 2–12, including full-year and semester credit courses for high school
– Wide variety of traditional and specialized camps, such as art, drama, cooking, video game development, robotics, and more
– Before- and after-camp care
– Easy online registration Read More →

Jen Plym

The Produce Box is back with new spring deliveries!

Our favorite produce delivery service is back and in full force! The Plym fam has not missed a week since The Produce Box hit Charlotte’s neighborhoods last fall and we don’t ever plan on it! And lucky for Smarty Charlotte, The Produce Box has expanded their delivery service!

I’m a farmers market junkie, well only when soccer, field hockey, dance, and gymnastics aren’t in season. Pre-kids, you’d find me every Saturday morning at some farmers market around the QC. But once my kids got knee deep into sports, my Saturdays have been overtaken and my trips to my beloved farmers markets are few and far between. Until The Produce Box entered my life. Now I feel like the luckiest mom on the block!

The Produce Box delivers boxes of fresh, North Carolina local fruits and vegetables to the doorsteps of its members across the state. Members receive an e-mail each Friday with what’s in season and expected to come out of the field the next week. They have until Sunday night to choose online to order a pre-packaged box filled with produce, pick their own items to be delivered or skip for the coming week at no charge. There are no contracts, long-term commitments or confusing points systems to keep track of. Read More →

CSP Team

Smarty Scoop on Weekend Events: March 6-8

Smarty Scoop is proudly sponsored by Discovery Place, Discovery Place KIDS – Huntersville and The Charlotte Nature Museum.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

Charlotte Hornets vs. Toronto Raptors
Time Warner Cable Arena
333 East Trade Street, Charlotte, NC
March 6, 7:00pm, All ages, $28 and up

Claws Exhibit at SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium
SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium
8111 Concord Mills Blvd., Concord, NC 28027
New exhibit, All ages, Free with museum admission $14-$21
Summary: Get your pinchers ready! An invasion of the crustacean kind is expected at the SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium. Claws is a new special exhibit featuring the Japanese Spider Crab—a scale-raising creature that can grow up to fourteen feet wide! Crabs, shrimp and an American Lobster can be found in this informative exhibit. HeARTbeat Arts Festival
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
See website for schedule, All ages, $9 – $19
Summary: Please join us for HeARTbeat as Playing for Others teens perform original dance, music, slam poetry and visual art pieces inspired by twelve non-profits in the Charlotte area. Performances are March 6th and 7th at 7:00pm at the Booth Playhouse. The non-profits that will be honored include Apparo, Children’s Scholarship Fund- Charlotte, Great Outdoors University, Hands on Charlotte, Hinds’ Feet Farm, Johnston YMCA, Leadership Charlotte, McPie, Queen City Mobile Market, The Relatives, The Sandbox, Women’s Impact Fund.

Guest Blogger

March 3, 2015

Smarty 2015 Summer Camp Guide: Cannon School’s Camp Cannon

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for our daily series on the best summer camps in Charlotte. Here’s our first by Marcia Brashear, Director of Enrichment Programs, Cannon School.

Summer is almost here, and that means pool visits, lazy days soaking up the sun, and the inevitable utterance that springs from the mouth of every child just a few days into June—“I’m bored.”

Avoid the summer doldrums and ignite imaginations in an unforgettable fashion. Camps help take kids out of their comfort zone, equipping them with skills to navigate a world that can often be unpredictable. They also help them make new friends, try new things, and personally grow by leaps and bounds

At Camp Cannon, we specialize in enriching summer sessions focused on the Arts, SciTech, Sports, and College Prep, all designed to create meaningful memories for children ages 3-18. Campers learn new skills while having a blast on Cannon School’s 65-acre campus, which includes state-of-the-art classroom facilities, two gymnasiums, a dance studio, athletic fields, a track, tennis courts, and wooded wetlands. Read More →

Cheryl Perry

Smarty Review and Giveaway: CTC’s ‘Jackie and Me’

I am a HUGE fan of Children’s Theatre of Charlotte – I have never been disappointed in one production I’ve seen. I have always applauded loudly, recommended their productions to all of my friends, and genuinely been proud that my hometown’s children’s theatre can produce such amazing pieces. My kids are with me on this – the Perry family is a BIG fan of CTC.

I have never, however, teared up at the end of a CTC play. Not once.

Until now.

I took my seven-year-old son to CTC’s newest production of “Jackie and Me” – we met about six of his first-grade, baseball-loving buddies and their moms for a little mother-son afternoon that meshed a little culture with sports (because what other way do you introduce culture to sports fanatics?). “Jackie and Me” is not a musical; there aren’t showy costumes or big sets. But, somehow it captivated not only a group of fidgety seven-year-old boys, but also their fidgety thirty-something-year-old moms, for a full 90 minutes.

“Jackie and Me” is the story of one of America’s greatest baseball players and the first African American to play the game, Jackie Robinson. The play starts out in present day but quickly switches to 1947 through a baseball-card-turned-time-machine (I’ll let you see the play to understand that one). The main character, a boy who is a white student in present-day researching Jackie Robinson for a book report, is black when he lands in 1947. He is able to experience firsthand what an African-American boy living in New York City in 1947 might have experienced – bigotry, stereotypes, misunderstandings – and learn from those experiences.
Read More →