Countryside Day Blog

5 Steps to Keep Kids at the Table

5 Steps to Keep Kids at the Table

October 9th, 2014
We've all heard of the benefits of the family meal, with studies showing that regular family meals make children less prone to obesity and drug addiction.   So we scramble to make time for the family meal. The table is set. The food is hot. Everyone's seated. Now for the real challenge: keeping your children at the table.   A recent article in a food magazine had a column on how to keep restless kids at the table... READ MORE
Toward a More Robust Online Community

Toward a More Robust Online Community

October 8th, 2014
Dear Countryside Community,   A more robust, interactive, online community is not an end in itself, but rather is a means to extending the influence of the CDS community that already exists. And it’s pretty easy to cultivate. Posts on Events When we post a review of a key event at CDS, families who attended can post comments on their most-meaningful take-aways from the event, creating a powerful reinforcement for the CDS community to retain... READ MORE
Sanity in the Morning

Sanity in the Morning

October 2nd, 2014
In an older issue of Real Simple, there is an article on how to get through the morning with your children. It features a series of vignettes from different families with different challenges. It asks the reader to imagine her morning hours: calm, peaceful and productive. And they show it doesn't have to be a pipe dream. The Meritocracy One mom’s motto is making the morning fun. After years of pleading with her children to... READ MORE
The Little Leagues: 3 Important Lessons

The Little Leagues: 3 Important Lessons

September 22nd, 2014
Little league coaches and parents are notorious blowhards. The vast majority of young people who eagerly join youth sports leagues in kindergarten will quit before middle school. Some discover their talents are not in athletics, but many kids are so beaten-down and discouraged by the elitist competition and the relentless barrage of criticism, they give up on sports all together.   It’s a dirty, crying shame. Not all young people are athletically inclined, but they... READ MORE
Learn to Concentrate; Learn to Love

Learn to Concentrate; Learn to Love

September 12th, 2014
Work and Concentration Healthy adults are a diverse population, outstandingly different in our goals and intentions.  The legendary psychologist Erik Erikson noted that most healthy people mature in predictable phases.  He also pointed out that all healthy people have two things in common: we engage in constructive work and we invest in love. Maria Montessori used different terms to describe the growth of children, but her message was essentially the same.  She noticed that when... READ MORE
Transition, Growth, and Charlotte’s Web

Transition, Growth, and Charlotte’s Web

September 5th, 2014
Reading Charlotte’s Web In a week or maybe two, my husband will finish reading Charlotte’s Web for the fourth time, the first time when he was a child, and once for each of our three children. My husband has a low, mumbly voice, and he is often very tired when he sits down in his rocking chair to read at night, but we cherish every word he reads.  Our children greet Wilbur and Charlotte every... READ MORE
Skipping Stones

Skipping Stones

August 29th, 2014
August Mornings in Maine August mornings in Maine are cool, perfect for hiking through the mountains that border the Atlantic Ocean.  Bears are still active near some forest trails, but we never saw one.  The solitude and beauty far outweigh the risk.  Our children are old enough now to climb and hike, still young enough to delight in snakes and frogs, eider ducks and harbor seals. Every time we hiked to a mountain pool, or... READ MORE
The Secret About Your Child Only Grandma Knows

The Secret About Your Child Only Grandma Knows

August 5th, 2014
Sit beside a grandma with a hot drink, time, and a few good questions.  Ask her to talk about her grown children, what they were like at different ages, how they struggled, when they were frightened, confident, lost, successful.   Ask her what she loves about one of her children, and what drives her crazy.  Remembering will bring her great joy, even when the memory is sad.  When she talks about her child’s character, the qualities... READ MORE
A Small Window into a Big Heart

A Small Window into a Big Heart

July 30th, 2014
It is a very short walk from Max’s classroom to the gym. He passes through the toddler room on the way, and it takes every ounce of self-control he can muster not to sprint the distance. One day several months ago, one of the youngest toddlers knocked a plant off the shelf.  Before an adult could offer help, four-year old Max noticed as he walked back to class from gym. Max found a dustpan and... READ MORE
Raising Generous Children

Raising Generous Children

July 21st, 2014
Being very rich so far as I am concerned is having a margin.  The margin is being able to give. - May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude Raising children who conduct their lives according to a moral or ethical standard has never been easy.  Yet today’s parents and teachers – even those of us who continue to delight in our work with children – wonder if something significant about childhood is missing.  We suspect our... READ MORE

Countryside Programs

We offer a continuous program from 16 months through 6th 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