Countryside Day Blog

Parent Leadership Class

Parent Leadership Class

September 17th, 2021
Due to popular demand, Michele and Jim Aspinall are bringing back the Leadership Parenting class! The Aspinalls will provide invaluable guidance to reinforce what essentially has always been the parenting philosophy of the Countryside community–the importance of parents re-claiming a leadership role in the raising of their children. “It’s become counter-cultural,” said the Aspinalls, “to expect a child to defer to the parent’s leadership. Rather, we’ve become accustomed to the parent deferring to... READ MORE
Enabling Creativity Through Art

Enabling Creativity Through Art

August 17th, 2021
Enabling Creativity Through Art by Michele Aspinall "If we try to think back to the dim and distant past...what is it that helps us reconstruct those times, and to picture the lives of those who lived in them? It is their art... It is thanks to the hand, the companion of the mind, that civilization has arisen." Maria Montessori.   Art is a universal language. Artwork has the potential to stimulate and evoke a response... READ MORE
Less Stuff, More Adventure

Less Stuff, More Adventure

July 6th, 2021
Less Stuff, More Adventure by Michele Aspinall "Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout... READ MORE
The Great Toy Purge: Time to Simplify

The Great Toy Purge: Time to Simplify

June 14th, 2021
 "As soon as children find something that interests them, they lose their instability and learn to concentrate." Maria Montessori.   Children can independently work and play when provided with the right tools within an environment that suits their developmental needs as young as infancy. This is precisely why Montessori stressed the importance of a prepared environment. While you don't have to recreate your child's classroom in your own home, there are, as with discipline, many... READ MORE
Planting the Seed of Wonder

Planting the Seed of Wonder

May 3rd, 2021
Montessori articulates in The Montessori Method, "...man still belongs to nature, and especially when he is a child, he...draws from it the forces necessary to the development of the body and the spirit. We have intimate communications with nature which have an influence, even a material influence, on the growth of the body...".  A window box, a barrel, or a small, raised garden will do just fine. You also need not have a green thumb yourself... READ MORE
A Note to Parents: It Starts at Home

A Note to Parents: It Starts at Home

March 31st, 2021
“The children of three years of age in the ‘Children’s Houses’ learn and carry out such work as sweeping, dusting, making things tidy, setting the table for meals, waiting at table, washing the dishes, etc., and at the same time, they learn to attend to their own personal needs, to wash themselves, to take showers, to comb their hair, to take a bath, to dress and undress themselves, to hang up their clothes in the... READ MORE
COVID-19 A Lesson in Community and Gratitude

COVID-19 A Lesson in Community and Gratitude

March 24th, 2020
“It all started when we began to accept that things were not going to proceed as normal and when that seemingly remote possibility - that we would be ramping up a distance learning program from scratch - suddenly became a real possibility,” Head of School, Wendy Calise, at Countryside Day School said this week. Here is her story and the story of how Countryside Day School is navigating the challenges of the COVID-19... READ MORE
Countryside Day Fills a Niche in the Northshore

Countryside Day Fills a Niche in the Northshore

July 31st, 2019
Countryside Day School, a renowned institution in Northbrook for more than 50 years, continues to fill a niche in the educational market by providing students 16 months through 8th grade with an unique learning experience that emphasizes not only rigorous academic studies but also the development of critical character skills essential for success not just in school, but more importantly in life. Countryside is committed to working in partnership with parents to help young people... READ MORE
Four Letter Words

Four Letter Words

February 6th, 2018
Is work a four-letter word? It certainly has four letters. And for many of us (present author not included) work does carry with it all the baggage of the traditional reference to four letter words, specifically profanity. Many people are in jobs they do not find value in.   I recently heard the former CEO of Baxter say he no longer uses the phrase work-life balance. “If you aren’t living at work, you have a... READ MORE
Chris and Corrie Carrigan

Chris and Corrie Carrigan

January 21st, 2018
Testimonials from Chris and Corrie Carrigan about CDS When we think about our time at CDS we are overwhelmed with gratitude. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that its impact on our family will reverberate for a generation. We couldn't be more thrilled with your capable and dedicated staff and how their passion, patience, and discipline have laid a strong foundation upon which our children can build their lives. The effect of... READ MORE

Countryside Programs

We offer a continuous program from 16 months through 8th grade — inculding an all year program option for Pre-K/K and elementary school. LEARN MORE

TODDLER — Ages 16 mos.-3yrs

PRE-K/K — Ages 3-6

LOWER ELEMENTARY — Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3

UPPER ELEMENTARY — Ages 9-12, Grades 4-6

SUMMER PROGRAMS — Ages 16 mos.-12 yrs., Toddler-Grade 6

ALL YEAR FULL DAY — Ages 3-12, Grades Pre-K/K-Grade 6