Charlotte Smarty Pants
Charlotte Smarty Pants – Daily Scoop for Savvy Charlotte Moms
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From the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: Get Set for Kindergarten
By our Smarty friends at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
You are either reading this article thinking, how dare they bring up going back to school – we are having too much fun this summer to think about school! Or, you are now day dreaming about the not-so-distant future when your children will finally be back in the care of their amazing teachers.
Either way, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library can be your partner in enjoying the summer with your children while preparing them to enter kindergarten. Whether your child is starting school in the fall, or the following year or two, we’ve got you covered.
Break in that new back pack by checking out some books
Kindergarten is a time when your child will begin developing the skills they need to read on their own. Check out this suggested reading list for rising kindergarteners developed by early literacy experts at the Library. This list is sure to keep your child reading for the fun of it all summer long. And check out Tumblebooks, Story Place and the Autism Reference Collection for even more titles and interactive literacy tools.
Remember, reading doesn’t have to be a solo activity – shared reading experiences with a family member are a great bonding and learning activity. And, don’t forget to log your reading for Summer Break! Read More →
Need some more kid activities now that summer is in full swing? We gotcha covered with the Smarty Camp Guide!
Rain, rain go away, our kids are driving us CRAY-CRAY!! We have a feeling you haven’t signed your kids up for enough activities to fill the long summer days! So we’re revisiting our Smarty Camp Guide – tried and true by Smarty Charlotte!
Smarty Education Partners
Charlotte Christian School
Established in 1950, Charlotte Christian School is a Christ-centered, college preparatory, independent, non-denominational school serving students in grades JK-12. Our vision for students includes the integration of a Biblical worldview into a curriculum where character, values and essential life skills are emphasized and modeled by a professional and dedicated faculty. A rigorous academic program is offered including strong co-curricular offerings with successful athletic and fine arts programs. For more information, schedule a tour of campus, attend an open house or visit, please visit our website.
Charlotte Christian Summer Camps are available beginning June 5. Learn more about Charlotte Christian’s camps for academics, arts, sports and technology.
Charlotte Christian School
7301 Sardis Road
Charlotte, NC 28270
(704) 366-5657
website
Facebook
Twitter: @charchristiannc
Instagram: @charlottechristianschool
Charlotte Country Day School
Charlotte Country Day School Summer Programs offers a wide variety of enrichment, sports, and academic camps to meet the needs of students ages 3-18. Weekly camps run from June 5 to August 11, with prices and times varying by camp. Some of the enrichment offerings include art, drama, cooking, video game development, robotics, science, and more. Athletic offerings include lacrosse, tennis, basketball, soccer, running, football, golf, and field hockey. We’re excited to introduce the Summer Institute, which offers high school students a variety of unique, weeklong academic enrichment experiences in support of specific skill development and student curiosity. Visit the website for more details on the more than 200 camps offered or contact Michael Rinehart (704) 943-4648.
NOTE: NEW LOCATION FOR 2017 – Bissell Campus, 5936 Green Rea Road (located four miles from main Cannon Campus off Carmel Road).
Click here for more info on CCDS Summer Programs.
Charlotte Country Day School
1440 Carmel Road
Charlotte, NC 28226
704-943-4500
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Vimeo
Charlotte Latin School
Looking for a great place to send your kids this summer? Check out Charlotte Latin Summer Programs! We offer half-day and full-day camps for children 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. A free-of-charge, supervised lunch hour for full day campers is provided. We also offer extended care service from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at $100 per week ($50 each).
Join us for another fun summer of CAMP VICTOR. Camp Victor is a traditional day camp run on the campus of Charlotte Latin. Our themed weeks for 2017 are: Curious Carolina Kids, Glow for it!, Moovin’ & Groovin’ Fitness, Party in the USA, Camp Victor’s Got Talent, Tie-Dye Disco, and Bugs & Botanicals. Each week, students will field journal in our on-campus woods; splash and play on inflatable water slides; experience science hands-on and engage in cooperative team-building games! Camp Victor tuition includes a full day of activities, a daily boxed lunch, and before- and after-camp care.
Interested in engineering and technology? We have one of the only MIT certified FabLabs (Fabrication Lab) in the country. Students come home at the end of the week with one-of-a-kind engineered masterpieces. Young Engineers of Today camps are designed and taught by STEM educators with more than 20 years of experience in engineering and programming. Charlotte Latin’s hands-on approach to technology education transforms campers into technology creators. We offer a variety of engineering programs involving dinosaurs, fashion design, underwater robots, to drones and Star Wars.
Charlotte Latin School
9502 Providence Road
Charlotte, NC 28277a
704-846-1100
website: www.charlottelatin.org
facebook: www.facebook.com/charlottelatinschool
twitter: @charlottelatin Read More →
Get your summer dance on with Jami Masters School of Dance Summer Technique Classes and INSPIRED Summer Intensive!
Do you have a rising 4th or 5th grader looking to raise the barre on her dance technique? Look no further, we bring you the best dance technique classes at our Smarty favorite, Jami Masters School of Dance!
Our friends at Jami Masters School of Dance (JMSD) offer technique classes all summer long for dancers of all levels age rising 4th grade all the way up to adults. They offer ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, funk, contemporary, body conditioning/stretching, pointe and more. This is the perfect time for your dancer to try something new and see if she likes it before registering for fall classes.
Also, join JMSD this year for their popular summer intensive, INSPIRED! This summer intensive is offered to dancers ages 8-18 and is sure to be an amazing weekend of beautiful dancing! Read More →
From the Smarty Education Corner and Charlotte Country Day: Summer Reading – A Smarty Podcast
We recently chatted with kindergarten teacher Anna Scott and fourth grade teacher Kato Nims from Charlotte Country Day about the importance of summer reading. They offered some GREAT tips on how to keep kids reading all summer long. This 15-minute podcast, powered by Shrink Tank, is a must-listen-to this summer. We promise it will inspire you to encourage your kids to open a book before school starts back up! Check out all of our Smarty podcasts here. Read More →
Check out the Red, White & You Session 4 at YMCA Camp Harrison!
Celebrate Fourth of July with a very special RED, WHITE & YOU week at YMCA Camp Harrison! Our Camp Harrison friends will host a special Independence Day party, including a spectacular fireworks show (we hear it’s the best in the county!)! Throughout the week, campers will experience live music, a carnival night inflatable extravaganza, a live magic show and a special night zip. Come for this AMP-ED UP session or add it to another session to create a longer, unforgettable camp experience! CSP {hearts} YMCA Camp Harrison, especially during 4th of July week!! Read More →
From our Smarty friends at Signature Pediatrics: Test Anxiety
The month of May brings beautiful weather, the promise of summer, the end of the school year, and……final exams!
It is normal to feel nervous before a test—most people do. However, for some children this normal anxiety escalates into something more intense and debilitating. And no longer is this a condition that affects only teenagers concerned about GPA’s and college. With the pressure that end of year tests like the EOG’s puts on students, many of our younger children are experiencing significant anxiety at this time of year.
Photo credit: apacenter.com
The physical symptoms are the same as with any type of anxiety. A child may have a stomach ache or nausea, a headache, feel shaky or sweaty, or complain of a racing heart, shortness of breath or light-headedness. Symptoms can even progress to hyperventilation or a full-blown panic attack, which can make a child feel like he or she can’t breathe or is having a heart attack.
Along with these physical symptoms comes the worry and negative thoughts associated with test anxiety. Children worry about doing poorly on the test, which fuels the physical symptoms of anxiety in a vicious negative cycle. The child feels worse and worse, and the negative thoughts and worries crowding the child’s brain affect his or her ability to concentrate and think about the test questions. This can lead to poor performance on the test, which then only fuels the anxiety for the next test situation.
So, how can we help our children with test anxiety? Here are some general tips:
1. Help your child prepare for the test. For younger children, this may just mean making sure they know what to expect on test day. Just being prepared for the format of the test and what types of questions to expect will help at any age. Older children may need help learning good study skills. Read More →
Smarty Alert: The JMSD Spring Company Showcase is this FRIDAY!
Smarties, it’s our favorite time of year – it’s spring recital time for all of our tiny dancers! Since my girls were little {and before they were dancers}, we have always made the Jami Masters School of Dance (JMSD) Friday night Company Showcase a Girls Night Out Plym tradition!
This year, my daughter will be in her 2nd year in JMSD Jr Company and I can’t wait to see her dance! She has been taking dance at JMSD since she was four years old, she’s now 14. She has loved every minute of it and so have we! We have had so much fun watching her grow into a beautiful young dancer, and we can thank Jami and her talented team for that. Let’s not forget, Smarty Charlotte voted JMSD “Best Dance Studio” in the 2016 Smarty Awards, very well-deserving! Read More →
Smarty Social Media Parenting Series: What you need to know about Snapchat
Smarties, you’ll want to bookmark this as part of our popular Social Media Parenting Series. Do you feel like keeping up with your kids’ social media is a full time job? You’re not alone. Parents today have it hard. We’re all playing catch up with the social media world and often feel overwhelmed by how to parent through it. As part of our commitment to the Charlotte parenting community, CSP is dedicated to creating an ongoing conversation between parents, educators, healthcare providers and law enforcement about social media and our children. Today we are hosting the first ever Town Hall on Social Media Parenting and we have an amazing panel of local experts. We plan to continue this conversation weekly on CSP and will host the 2nd Town Hall in the fall. Email us here if you have any topics or specific questions you’d like us to research. Remember, we’re all in this parenting gig together. #ittakesavillage
Today I’m talking about SnapChat. For those of you not familiar, Snapchat is a super popular app on the teen scene where a person can send photos and videos (aka, snaps) to their friends. These snaps can then be viewed for up to 10 seconds before they disappear. Kind of like magic for teens. In addition, Snapchat updates the app often with new colorful filters, geofilters, face-swapping effects, messaging, videos, live stories and more – it’s no wonder teens love it.
Snapchat can actually be a fun app for people of all ages. But due to the inherent nature of the app with photos “disappearing,” it’s important to teach your kids the golden rule of social media – there is no delete button. This is something that we will have to remind them ALL.THE.TIME. From the early days of devices well into the high school years, they just cannot grasp the concept that everything they do from texts, to instagram, to snaps, to VSCO is all part of their digital tattoo for ever and ever. For them, Snapchat is an in-the-moment lens that allows them to be carefree and sometimes take risks that they wouldn’t normally take in person. This is where Snapchat gets dicey. Read More →
Smarty Social Media Parenting Series: Cell Phones, Instagram & Social Media
Our first Town Hall on Social Media Parenting is TODAY, yippee! In preparation for the big event, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite blogs on social media that have been featured right here on CSP. Look for articles and resources from our partners to be posted this week. And, the conversation isn’t over today – we’ll be working with all of our partners to bring you relevant information on parenting and social media over the next several weeks.
#ittakesavillage
Especially when parenting the social media generation.
Enjoy these goodies, and hope to see you today!
~ The CSP Team
What I wish I did the first time I gave my kid a cell phone
Here I go again. Plym #2 is up for a cell phone, LAWD HELP ME! It’s inevitable, I know. She’s entering middle school and it’s time. I’m dreading this yet looking forward to it at the same time. I’m dreading the increase in my data plan, organizing my whacked out multiple iTunes accounts, and managing yet another young person in my household who will now have access to the entire world at her finger tips. The only thing I am excited about is having instant access to two of my four children that will hopefully make my hectic life just a little easier to coordinate.
So I did not jump on the 5th grade graduation cell phone gift bandwagon because I don’t believe that a cell phone should be given as a gift. By “gifting” the phone, it implies ownership to the child. So in our household, the cell phone is presented as a communication tool for Mom & Dad to get in touch with you at all times. The primary purpose of this tool is for communication with Mom & Dad, not for social media or gaming, although these are certainly nice perks. Read More →
From the Smarty Camp Corner: Caroline Calouche & Co’s Teen & Youth Summer Camps
Smarties, we recently introduced you to the amazing Caroline Calouche of Caroline Calouche & Co. (CC&Co.). Well we just can’t get enough of Caroline and her amazing dance school! Today we’re here to talk about CC&Co.’s Teen & Youth Summer Camp Program, your dancer will twirl her heart away!
Caroline Calouche & Co., the southeast’s premier cirque and dance school, takes dance to a whole new level. Offering Summer Camps for youth (ages 6-11) and teens (ages 12-18), that will have your child dancing her heart out on the floor and in the air. These week-long camps develop skills in aerial sling, trapeze, acrobatics, ballet, jazz and contemporary dance and are taught by a highly-trained faculty in a safe, supportive studio environment. All levels from newbies to advance in cirque and dance are welcome for camps and Summer Intensive (ages 12+). Read More →