A nanny’s guide to winter: 5 indoor activities in Charlotte
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Photo via the Small Hands Big Art Facebook page
Sometimes winter in Charlotte can mean it’s a great day to take the kids out to one of the 210 Charlotte-Mecklenburg parks; sometimes winter feels like winter and sends us indoors. On those days, nannies and parents alike are left to entertain our half-size counterparts.
Storytime
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It’s raining and you just want to get out of the house with your toddler before nap time. In comes storytime. Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries host over a dozen storytimes each day as well as other unique spots such as Barnes & Noble and Pottery Barn Kids. My nanny tip is to give your little one a quiet snack at the beginning of story time.
- Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries – multiple times
- Barnes & Noble – Saturdays 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Pottery Barn Kids – Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Music class
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Toys & Co is fun to just browse through. It has wall to wall toys, many of which you won’t see on the toy aisle at your average store. There is a huge section devoted to stuffed animals and another to model vehicles of all kinds.
The outdoor toys are in the back of the store and usually a couple are on display to test out. If you visit on Fridays, you can test out toys and stay for a free music class. Class is led by a local music teacher and geared toward 5 and under.
- Toys & Co – Fridays 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Free play
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When it’s below 40 out, I would take my nanny kids to run off energy at McDonald’s play place until we discovered that we could visit the local playground equipment store on Wednesdays and Fridays and test out the playgrounds!
- Superior Play Systems – Wednesday & Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Art studio
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One of my nanny kids loves to do anything art related. One of our favorite places is Small Hands Big Art. We usually attend during the summer for one of their many camps, but thankfully they have added open studio time on Saturdays. No commitment or package to buy. It’s the perfect cure after a long school week — the studio is always beaming with bright pieces of art and creations. Just call before 9 a.m. on Saturday to book your spot.
Small Hands Big Art – Saturday 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cry Baby Day
Cold dreary days make me crave a movie and popcorn. Unfortunately, little ones don’t always share the feeling. Cinebarre brilliantly offers the first showing of each movie on Tuesdays as a place to bring your little one under three years old for free and sans judgment from other movie goers. The sound is turned down a bit on cry baby day, so maybe the stars align and baby sleeps through the movie and you enjoy their truffle popcorn in peace.
Cinebarre – Tuesdays
Cover image via the Small Hands Big Art Facebook page