Charlotte Smarty Pants
Charlotte Smarty Pants – Daily Scoop for Savvy Charlotte Moms
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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 →
Easter Family Activities : The Easter Story Egg™ & The Lion of Judah
Smarties, Easter is my favorite time of year! It evokes so many happy memories from my childhood. It was the day we got all dressed up in our Sunday’s Best-BEST! Church was overflowing with people. If you didn’t arrive early, it was standing room only. I didn’t mind, I loved watching all the people arrive. After mass, we would all go to a family brunch. Once we were done, we would go home and find our Easter Baskets waiting for us – it was a big deal to receive the hollow Chocolate Bunny in those days!
Now that I am a mom, I want to continue my family’s tradition of celebrating the Easter Holiday. However, last year I noticed something was missing. There was a disconnect. My kids had listened to the story of Easter. They could tell you who, what, where… They weren’t connecting it to the actual day. It was too abstract. They only thing they were relating to Easter was the Bunny and the Eggs. In order to teach my children the true meaning of Easter, I knew I needed to find a teaching tool that would incorporate each learning modality (hands-on, visual, auditory) to create dimension in their little brains.
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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!
Win a FREE week of YMCA Camp Thunderbird – a $1,100 value!
*****THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED – OUR WINNER IS ASHLEY DUNHAM!*****
It’s time for another awesome CAMP GIVEAWAY! Today we bring you a free week of camp at YMCA Camp Thunderbird – woot, woot! One lucky Smarty will win one week of kid-free bliss. Read on!
YMCA Camp Thunderbird is a safe, nurturing and unforgettable experience that inspires kids to soar. The beautiful shoreline of Lake Wylie, SC is the amazing setting and ultimate water playground for life-changing experiences at camp. Kids are encouraged to aim high and try new things, cultivate talents, reach goals and become their best. Campers feel a sense of belonging and build lasting friendships as they grow in their understanding of themselves and in empathy for others. Take flight with Camp Thunderbird this summer! Read More →
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.
Our Devices Are Telling Us We Should Turn Them Off… And Embrace The Silence
By Tom Holland, Director Wilderness Adventures
This morning, the podcast I was listening to on my smartphone was playing a story about disconnecting from our devices. The irony of the moment was not lost on me. As I worked out and listened to the story about how we should take breaks from technology, I looked around and observed that everyone else in the gym was also listening to their headphones or staring at a device. It was in this moment of awakening that I began to miss the silence.
After the story ended (and I was anxious about living in a world where silence no longer exists), I unplugged and let my mind wander. And it felt great. Running on a treadmill with no sounds or videos, my brain took a few moments to remember what to do… and then it just wandered. Read More →
Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018: Charlotte Prep
Summer’s Coming—Are You Ready?
Maybe this recent burst of warm weather has you dreaming of summer. Perhaps you long to give your kids a summer like you had—full of fun, new friends and time to play. Now is the perfect time to consider Camp Prep for your rising 1st-rising 7th grader and to make plans to join us this summer.
We designed Camp Prep with busy families in mind—those who may be looking for a week or two of summer fun or those who need full-time summer care. Each week we focus on a different theme and offer developmentally appropriate activities that give campers an opportunity to play and experience new things in a safe and nurturing environment. From Hawaiian Luau to Galactic Adventures—there is a week that will appeal to every child. Each session includes Pizza Friday, a field trip, and the ever-popular excursion to Rama Swim & Racquet Club for swimming fun.
Click here for all the Camp Prep details and start planning your summer of fun right now. Read More →
Smarty Summer Camp Guide 2018 & Charlotte Latin School: Why Should Kids Go To Camp?
By Laura Walker, Charlotte Latin Summer Day Camps Assistant Director
When kids are asked, “Why do you like camp?” the answer is typically the same, because it is fun! But what really makes camp fun? Is it the counselors? The activities? The water balloon toss? Pie Friday? Or making slime? It’s all of these things and more! At Charlotte Latin Summer Day Camps, exploration and excitement meet our campers’ willingness to take on new challenges, dive deeper into things they love and try new things. Camp is much more than just a service to parents; it is an opportunity for children to develop new friends and explore new interests and places. Camp is also about good, old-fashioned fun and games!
From the Smarty Education Corner: Meet Lake Norman/Davidson’s newest IB School, Coddle Creek Elementary
By Guest Blogger, Cindy Johnson
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, kids went to their home school. In other words, where you lived determined where you went to school. There were few, if any, charter schools, IB schools, magnet schools, etc. Fast forward to now and my, how things have changed! The options are infinite. Now, as parents, we have to make that decision too (because we don’t already have enough responsibility on our shoulders, right?) Thanks to the abundance of options, it is practically a full-time job to research the various schools in our area. Who has time for that, though? (Insert subtle reminder of the copious amounts of responsibility we have). Worry no more, though, because I have you covered (at least a little bit). I did some of the legwork for you on one of the best new school options in the Davidson/Lake Norman area: Coddle Creek Elementary School (CCE). Full disclaimer: I have a son in 4th grade at CCE and am ridiculously in love with the administration, teachers, staff, and the philosophy of the school. Let me illustrate why…
Coddle Creek Elementary (CCE) is on its way to making history in the Iredell-Statesville School District by becoming the first International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP).* According to the International Baccalaureate website, “PYP students learn how to take control of their learning, teachers collaborate to deepen student- learning and increase their confidence and self-motivation. The whole school community, including parents, are viewed as partners in learning, and actively contribute to a holistic educational experience.”
To elaborate on these concepts, I interviewed Coddle Creek Elementary Principal, Susan Fail. As an administrator of CCE, it has always been her philosophy to develop the whole child. Given the opportunity to become an IB School has allowed her, the teachers, and the staff to do just that. As an IB school, they focus each month on a different Learner Profile (see image attachment below). According to Principal Fail, “This allows us to make better humans. We are celebrating humans.” With that being said, can you think of any argument where creating “better humans,” especially in our world today, could be a bad thing? I know I sure can’t! Read More →
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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