Our Grandparents Gift theme this year is all about camps and activities! When grandparents ask what the kids really want for Christmas, our number one reco is camp or a session of their favorite activity. Grandparents 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, camps and after school activities can get pretty expensive.
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!
Following are Smarty ideas for Grandparents Gifting – some of these fall into the camp category and some are lessons/activities:
Our Education Partners (all offer summer camp to ANYONE, not just currently-enrolled students!):
– Charlotte Christian Summer Camps
– Charlotte Country Day School Summer Programs
– The John Crosland School
– Charlotte Jewish Day School
– Charlotte Latin Summer
– Charlotte Preparatory School’s Camp Prep
– The Fletcher School
– Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools
– The Oaks
– Palisades Episcopal School
Dance:
– Jami Masters School of Dance
– Caroline Calouche & Co.
– Charlotte School of Ballet
Gymnastics
– Carolina Flipz
– Zenith Gym
– Perfect Balance
– Charlotte Gymnastics Academy
– Southeastern Gymnastics
– Little Gym Charlotte
Sports
Ask your special grand-friends for your child’s sporting of choice: soccer, swim, field hockey and more. Most of our education partners and year-round sports leagues offer summer clinics and camps too. All have summer programs way beyond sports, so take your time researching the options!
– Charlotte Soccer Academy’s CSA Camps
– Charlotte Eagles
– Let Me Run Summer Camp
Art & Music
– Charlotte Star Room 
– Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
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 has an incredible STEM camp experience.
All Around Day Camps
– Charlotte Day Camp
– YMCA of Greater Charlotte
Overnight Camps
Here are some of our favorite overnight camps! All are PERFECT for grandparent gifting.
– 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 Trinity is located right outside of Morehead City, NC, in Salter Path. It’s a traditional camp that incorporates fun ocean activities like sailing, crabbing, and marshing, and so much more. Kids in grades 3-12 can go to Camp Trinity – it’s seriously one of the best camps in North Carolina! 
– Camp Cannan – located on a 100 acre Island in the Catawba River in Rock Hill, South Carolina, offers unique summer camps for kids in the Charlotte, Fort Mill, and Rock Hill, SC area. Their summer camp programs serve campers ages 5-16 and include day camps, specialty camps, and resident/overnight camps.
– Camp Highlander – a summer camp for girls and boys located on Old Forge Mountain, in Mills River, North Carolina. that strives to create an environment that cultivates the communication and social skills that can only be provided through a coed experience.
– Wilderness Adventures – Outdoor adventure trips for students. Choose from 45 programs for the perfect experience in outdoor adventuring. Engage in a variety of activities while creating friendships, building community, and developing your leadership skills.
– Dolphin Camp – located in Florida, this is a seven-day program that introduces children to the amazing world of dolphins. Students meet DRC’s resident dolphin population, learning to respect each dolphin as an individual through observation of their unique behavioral and physical characteristics.
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 (or nearby)! We are lucky that we have so many options for camps and activities in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. Grandparents who give this gift will be rockstars for sure!
