Charlotte Smarty Pants
Charlotte Smarty Pants – Daily Scoop for Savvy Charlotte Moms
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‘Move it, move it!’ Madagascar – A Musical Adventure Takes the Stage
By Our Smarty Friends at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
It’s a zoo at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte! 
Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and, of course, those hilarious, plotting penguins have all escaped from the Central Park Zoo and now find themselves on a journey to King Julien’s Madagascar.
Based on the smash-hit DreamWorks movie, this musical adventure is filled with outlandish characters, an upbeat score and songs audiences know and love.
“Both grown-ups and kids won’t be able to help getting out of their seats to ‘Move it, move it!’ along with us,” Michelle Long, director, said.
Smarty Summer Camp Giveaway: Win a FREE week of CPCC’s ‘Make Your First 3D Video Game’ STEM Camp!
*****THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! OUR LUCKY WINNER IS BETHANY DONALDSON!*****
Beat summer boredom with CPCC’s Summer Experience! Featuring newly expanded offerings including, theatre, drone, cosmetology, pottery camps and more! Help keep your child energized with our camps that engage and encourage curious minds. Each one is listed by age group and fills up quickly, so register online today at www.CPCCSummerExperience.com or call 704.330.2722 ext. 3875 for more information. Lucky for us, our friends at CPCC are giving one lucky Smarty a week of FREE “Make Your First 3D Video Game” Camp, read on!
The “Make Your First 3D Video Game” Camp:
Campers will go well beyond the limitations of the traditional 2D game design classes and create an immersive 3D world! Students will learn the physics behind 3D games, explore beginner event scripting, level design, controlling the flow of gameplay, and storytelling. Student created games will be available on a password protected Black Rocket website to share with friends and family. Students will work in pairs or teams for most of the program. Basic computer knowledge is essential for success in this camp. Read More →
Smarty Scoop For Weekend Events April 6-8
Easter Eggstravaganza And Spring Break
Carowinds Amusement Park
300 Detective Mike Doty Memorial Hwy, Charlotte, NC
March 30 – April 8, See website for schedule, All ages, $40+
Summary: Who’s that hoppin’ down the bunny trail? It’s our own Eggward the Easter Bunny and Snoopy the Easter Beagle! Come to Carowinds to take part in our eggstra-special activities, crafts and entertainment. It’s a week of spring break activities and family fun.
Doll Hair Salon Spectacular
American Girl Store
4400 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC
March 9 – April 27, See website for schedule, Ages 8+, $25+ gratuity
Summary: Your girl can learn new tricks to style her doll’s tresses at our Doll Hair Salon Spectacular! Girls will learn how to create several cute new ’dos, plus take home bright highlights for their dolls and learn how to put them in. Afterward, each girl and her spruced-up companion can enjoy muffins, fruit and lemonade in our Bistro.
Tweetsie Railroad Opening Day
Tweetsie Railroad
300 Tweets Railroad Ln, Blowing Rock, NC
April 6, 9:00am – 6:00pm, All ages, $30-$45
Summary: The Park will be open for the 2018 daytime operations beginning April 6, 2018, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 9 am – 6 pm. Read More →
Hull & Coleman Orthodontics: A Family Affair
By our Smarty friends at Hull & Coleman Orthodontics
At Hull & Coleman Orthodontics, we are proud to say that we’ve treated a tremendous number of not just children, but families. Moms and dads frequently decide that it’s time for them to take care of their own smiles at the same time as their children. It’s a real bonding experience and they always say it was so worth it!
We recently sat down with one of our patients, an amazing mom who decided to do her own treatment at the same time as her daughters. Check out what she had to say about her treatment and the results!
Smarty Scoop On Weekend Events March 30 – April 1
YMCA Camp Harrison Open House
Camp Harrison
7901 South NC 18, Boomer, NC 28606
(800) 514-1417 | campharrison@ymcacharlotte.org
April 14, 11:00am – 4:00pm, All ages, Registration required
Summary: Find out about camp, meet our staff, and experience how campers can develop confidence, character and faith at our beautiful campus.
Easter Eggstravaganza And Spring Break
Carowinds Amusement Park
300 Detective Mike Doty Memorial Hwy, Charlotte, NC
March 30 – April 8, See website for schedule, All ages, $40+
Summary: Who’s that hoppin’ down the bunny trail? It’s our own Eggward the Easter Bunny and Snoopy the Easter Beagle! Come to Carowinds to take part in our eggstra-special activities, crafts and entertainment. It’s a week of spring break activities and family fun. Read More →
Save the Date: Town Hall on Social Media Parenting 3.0 on April 29th!
Save the date, Smarties! CSP in partnership with Charlotte Christian School is presenting the Town Hall on Social Media Parenting 3.0 April 29, 2018 from 2-4 pm at Charlotte Christian School. More details and registration coming soon, but put it in the calendar and plan to join us! The event is FREE and open to anyone from any school and for parents of preschoolers to high school and beyond. Let’s keep the conversation going, Smarty Charlotte!
Smarty Podcast: The Importance of School ‘Specials’
Welcome back to the Charlotte Smarty Pants podcast series, which is powered by Charlotte Star Room, Charlotte’s premier boutique music development and corporate video production studio + the best birthday parties in the QC, the Popstar music video parties, AND professional voice lessons in a studio.
You can now find the entire Smarty podcast series on iTunes! So, please subscribe and share!
Today Smarties Jen P. and Cheryl are talking to educator Mary Yorke Oates, Admissions Director at Charlotte Latin School, about the importance of school “Specials” like art, music, and drama.
Smarty Scoop On Weekend Events March 23-25
The Big Spring Clean 2018
Various locations (see website)
March 24, 9:00am – 1:00pm, Ages 5+, Free
All children 14 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Everyone under the age of 18 must have a guardian waiver signed
Summary: Help clean up streams and lakes by participating in a one day event called The Big Spring Clean! Volunteers register for one of several stream or lake locations sponsored across Mecklenburg County. They gather on a Saturday morning to spend a few hours working together to collect trash out of streams and lakes. All supplies are provided. Each year, about 500 volunteers clean up an average of 10 tons of trash! Volunteers have fun, make a big difference, and learn the importance of taking care of our local waterways. Read More →
Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018: CSA Camps
CSA Camps, an affiliate of Charlotte Soccer Academy, offers a variety of camps open to the public. Both recreational level camps and competitive level camps are offered. 
Our Summer Camp Series includes both general skill building camps and position specific camps with locations in Pineville at the OrthoCarolina Sportsplex, Concord at the Red Ventures Complex and Matthews at Davie Park.
Players of all skill levels and ages 5 and up, are welcome. Click here to register.
We offer early registration discounts! Read More →
Storytelling through People of CLT
Two years ago, Smarty Mom and Writer, Mai-Lis Bahr, launched PeopleofCLT. Since then, over 124 stories—and counting—have been shared on the storytelling platform, bringing awareness to causes, triumphs, talents, adversities, advocates, and honoring stories from the community.
How did you become drawn to storytelling?
Around the dinner table, I found myself in awe of my parents stories. My mom is a war refugee and my dad grew up in the foster care system of NYC after being given up by his father at the tender age of three, when his mother passed away. Their stories opened the door to my profound interest in storytelling, igniting a curiosity about others as well. I always think about someone’s story: who are they, where have they been, and where are they going? I try to imagine what it is like to walk in their shoes and it makes me engage with the world more. People become human. Disgruntled waiters are forgiven, I-phones are put down at checkouts, and we look up, we LISTEN.
What impact do you believe stories have?
Stories have POWER—they teach, motivate, inspire, and encourage empathy and inclusion. Stories help us make sense of our own worlds through the lens of another; they make us pause for reflection. Sometimes the hardest person to see is yourself. Stories offer profound teaching moments and they let us know that we are never alone. And stories weave a community together. In our often divisive world, this couldn’t be more important.