Our Grandparents Gift theme this year is all about camps and activities! Our parents are often asking what the kids really want for Christmas. They want to give something special that the kids will enjoy. My number one reco is camp or a session of their favorite activity. Granpdarents will feel good about the experiences they are giving to their grandkids as well as feel good about helping you out. Because let’s face it. If you have more than two kids, camps and after school activities can get pretty expensive.
Following are Smarty ideas for Grandparents Gifting:
Dance:
We adore Jami Masters School of Dance in Park Road Shopping Center and Charlotte School of Ballet in Cotswold/Myers Park. Both have classes for all ages and amazing camps all summer long!
Gymnastics
Lots of ‘lil Smarties love the new Carolina Flipz behind Carolina Place Mall. We hear they are the B-E-S-T at teaching handsprings! My son just started his first year of boys team gymnastics at Charlotte Gymnastics Academy. He lives to flip and would welcome this gift any day!
Sports
Ask your special grand-friends for your child’s sporting of choice: soccer, swim, field hockey and more. Most year-rounders offer summer clinics and camps too. Providence Day School Summer Program, Charlotte Latin School and Charlotte Country Day School Summer Program are some of the best in the QC. For ages 3-18, these schools offer programs for almost any sport and your child will leave that week with an enhanced skill set that he did not have on day 1! All have summer programs way beyond sports, so take your time researching the options!
Art & Music
small hands big art has amazing arts camps for ages 2-7 all summer long. These are super popular for little Picasso’s! Also consider asking for the next session at Music Together of Charlotte. Hello everybody, we’re so glad to see Y-O-U!
STEM
STEM Camp is a terrific place where campers can learn more about science, technology, engineering, and math through a variety of fun, hands-on activities. CPCC and Trinity Episcopal School both have an incredible STEM camp experience.
Overnight Camps
Camp Harrison at Herring Ridge, Camp Thunderbird and Camp Highlander are three wonderful sleep-away camps. Many have early bird discounts that end 12/31, so now is the time for this perfect gift!
Camp Harrison is part of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and has everything from a dude ranch, to a sportsman track and a Beyond the Ridge Track (just like Outward Bound) and everything in between. Tucked in the mountains of NC, the property is absolutely heavenly and your child will be hooked for life!
Located on beautiful Lake Wylie, S.C., Camp Thunderbird is a 100-acre camp just 20 minutes south of Charlotte. Camp Thunderbird has nationally-recognized water programs, including wakeboarding, water skiing, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, water slides and “the Blob”.
Camp Highlander, located in Mills River, NC, near Asheville, provides a magical summer experience for girls and boys, ages 5-16. Year after year, campers return to build lasting memories at the 240 acre campus nestled in the heart of the North Carolina mountains. Camp Highlander is the only camp to have Athena’s Path and Hero’s Pursuit as part of the counselors’ training as well as the middle school campers’ curriculum. They have horseback riding in Biltmore and so much more!
I’ve just skimmed the surface here, but you get the idea. Whatever your child’s interests are, you can pretty much guarantee that there is a program in town! We are lucky that we have so many options for camps and activities in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. Keep in mind, many of the camps don’t have their summer curriculum ready just yet, but they still make a great gift! So my suggestion is to get creative. Either contact them to see if you can purchase a gift card or just write an IOU. Buy a sweatshirt or tee shirt, wrap in a big bow and put under the tree. This will be the perfect gift that will keep on giving! Grandparents who give this gift will be rockstars for sure!
