Charlotte Smarty Pants
Charlotte Smarty Pants – Daily Scoop for Savvy Charlotte Moms
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Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018: Palisades Episcopal School
Written by Amie Berryhill, PES Third Grade Teacher and Camp Gryphon Director
At Camp Gryphon, Palisades Episcopal School’s day camp, we believe three vital components work together to create a perfect summer camp experience: play, reading and service. Our campers spend the majority of their days engaged in physical play. We swim daily, visit the trampoline park weekly and spend afternoons playing large group games in our recreation center.
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From the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: Get involved and change lives with Active Reading
By our Smarty friends at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Active Reading involves reading a book WITH a child rather than reading a book TO a child. This evidence-based approach improves children’s language skills, vocabulary and ability to understand what they read on their own.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has partnered with Read Charlotte to offer workshops that teach parents and caregivers fun ideas and activities that can be used to support early literacy at home. During the series of four 60-minute workshops, you will learn how to use the ABCs of Active Reading one-on-one in a fun environment with your child.
Workshops are geared towards parents and caregivers of children ages 2-5, but older or younger siblings are welcome to attend. Registration is required, and workshops take place at many locations and at various times of the day in an attempt to provide access to all. Sign up for an Active Reading workshop today! Read More →
Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018: Girls on the Run
Camp GOTR combines the best of Girls on the Run with all the fun of camp! During each week-long session, rising 3rd – rising 5th grade girls will build friendships in a fun and inclusive setting that includes interactive games, being physically active, and expressing creativity through art & crafts and storytelling.
Camp GOTR by Girls on the Run will provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for girls to develop self-confidence and learn life skills they can use now and as they grow! Girls on the Run will be offering two weeks of camp, Girls Have Heart which focuses on emotions, and Girls Have Power which focuses on friendship. Read More →
Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018: Charlotte Christian School
It’s time to plan some summer fun! Charlotte Christian School has hosted outstanding summer camps for more than 10 years and this season’s line-up promises lots of new adventures in academics, arts, sports, and technology. Opportunities include more than 75 ways for your child to explore new ideas like film production or solving mysteries or further develop a special passion like football, cooking, or computer coding.
Charlotte Christian School Summer Camps provide opportunities for children from junior kindergarten through grade 12. All students from the community are welcome including students from other schools. From sports camps led by Charlotte Christian head coaches in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, football, lacrosse, soccer, and wrestling to “techy” camps that feature STEM Science and LEGO Robotics – there is something for everyone! Read More →
Smarty Camp Guide 2018: Charlotte Country Day Summer Programs
Are you ready for a GREAT summer? Sign up for Summer Programs at Country Day! With more than 150 creative classes 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!
6 things we love about Country Day’s Summer Programs:
1 There is something for everyone! 150 different themed camps offered for ages 3–18. There is a wide variety of traditional and specialized camps, such as art, drama, cooking, computer, STEM, science, and more.
2. Bus transportation is available this year! For convenience and due to popular demand, they are offering a bus transportation service from Christ Church (1412 Providence Road) and Cannon Campus (1440 Carmel Road) to Bissell Campus, where the summer programs are held.
3. They fit your schedule! Half-day and full-day, morning, and afternoon camp options from 7 am to 6 pm all summer long.
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Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018: Camp Trinity
By Smarty Guest Blogger, Mary Beth Bradberry, Assistant Director, Trinity Center, and Director, Camp Trinity
Hi. My name is Mary Beth Bradberry, and I am Assistant Director of Trinity Center as well as Director of Camp Trinity. I want to share with you some information about Camp Trinity, which is the overnight residential summer camp of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. Camp Trinity is a part of Trinity Center, and Trinity Center is located on sixty-two acres on Bogue Banks just off the coast of North Carolina and just down the road from Atlantic Beach.
Before I tell you about Camp Trinity, let me share a bit about myself. I started coming to Camp Trinity when I was ten years old and have been in love with the place and its ministry ever since. I worked on staff for Penn Perry, who was at that time Director of Camp Trinity and who is now Executive Director of Trinity Center. Penn has worked for Camp Trinity and Trinity Center for over thirty years, since he was eighteen years old. He and I both believe deeply in what Camp Trinity has to offer. Read More →
From the Smarty Education Corner: The Lasting Impact of a Fletcher Education
By our Smarty friends at The Fletcher School
At Fletcher, the first day back from Winter Break is always buzzing with activity as we welcome back current students and our Falcons who have taken flight — to begin their career, to advance their education, or to take on life’s adventures. On Young Alumni Day, Fletcher’s positive impact shines through our confident, thriving graduates.
Young Alumni Day is an annual Fletcher event, part of which is our engaging and inspiring Alumni Panel. Each year, we welcome Fletcher alumni to serve on this panel to share their post-graduation experiences with our current Fletcher students. Each experience shared is unique, and yet each story is linked by a common thread that is woven during their time at Fletcher and provides the backbone for their success. Our current students benefit from this chance to learn of the opportunities and potential challenges that, as students with learning differences, they might encounter in their next step. Hearing first-hand how our Fletcher graduates meet success post-graduation inspires our students and reaffirms the value of their Fletcher education. Read More →
From the Smarty Health Corner and CEENTA: 5 steps to springtime allergy relief
By our Smarty friends at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A.
Spring is almost here! Some of you will love watching the trees turn green and the plant life come back, but some of you will be looking at it with a sense of dread because you know that means one thing: allergies. Today we want to offer you five steps to help you get relief during the coming season.
Get tested: The first thing to do is find out exactly which allergens are bothering you. CEENTA does both skin and blood tests, and once they’re done they can begin developing a treatment plan for you.
Avoid the allergens: One of the easiest ways to reduce your allergy symptoms is to practice avoidance techniques. If possible, don’t go outside in the early morning, when pollen is at its heaviest. You can check the pollen count daily online. Also, keep your windows shut. This will keep pollen outside, where it belongs.
Rinse with saline: Rinsing your nasal passages with saline after spending time outdoors flushes the pollen from your nose, which minimizes your contact with allergens. Read More →
Recreational Cheerleading At Carolina Flipz: The Perfect Progression for Any New Cheerleader
By Carissa Sawyers, All-Star Program Director, Carolina Flipz Cheer
Growing up, my little brother played baseball. My earliest memories of baseball are simple: the backyard was our field, the trees marked the bases and the rock marked home plate. Our parents noticed my brother’s love for the game at the young age of four and enrolled him in neighborhood T-ball. After that he was enrolled in the community recreational baseball program and finally the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). While his journey stopped at age 16, there were plenty of additional programs and schools to guide him to the big leagues. Thinking back, I revel at how easy the transition was from barely understanding the game to full commitment. It is as if the baseball industry has the perfect path to guide its young prospects all the way to the major leagues, should their talents align with their dreams. Realizing this easy-to-follow, step-by-step progression of a baseball career, it dawned on me that cheerleading, as an industry, has been completely missing the mark!
In Charlotte and the surrounding areas, if your child wants to get involved in cheerleading you essentially have two options: 1. enroll your child into a recreational league where they will be coached by well-meaning parents with little to no knowledge of the sport or 2. enroll your child into competitive cheerleading, with practice multiple times a week, traveling to competitions and a price tag you aren’t sure they will appreciate. Don’t get me wrong, both of these options have tremendous benefits! But how do you know your child has progressed beyond the recreational league? And how do you know your child is ready for the full commitment of competitive cheerleading? There HAS to be a middle of the road, right? There must be a clear “next step” for you to test the waters of progression for your cheerleader. Read More →
From the Smarty Health Corner and CEENTA: When your child hurts your face
By our Smarty friends at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A.
It seems like just yesterday your baby was a tiny newborn, wrapped in blankets and sleeping the day away. Now little Timmy has grown up just enough to start exploring the world around him, but he’s still not too big to hold. But as adorable as he is, and as much as he loves his mommy and daddy, those exploring hands of his may accidentally injure you. Let’s talk about what to watch out for and what to do if your little one does hurt some part of your face.
Before we start, we both know that your child isn’t intentionally trying to hurt you. Babies and toddlers are impulsive, aren’t completely aware of their bodies, don’t always have complete control of their bodies, and don’t understand the consequences of their actions. So remember: what’s painful to you might just be playful curiosity to them. Read More →