Drama: All children at the Learning Ladder have the opportunity to develop imagination, resourcefulness, and creativity through dramatizing stories, songs, and music. Children engage in pretend play and use literature to bring stories to life.

Field Trips: Children in the three-year old and SkillBuilders classrooms have the opportunity to take field trips at various times throughout the year. These field trips give children the opportunity to engage in experiential learning outside of the classroom. Trips that learning Ladder children have taken include, visits to a farm, performances of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, visits to the planetarium, and performances of the Children’s Theater.

Gym: The children in the older toddlers group through the four year olds have Gym once a week with "Power Hour." Ms. Riley brings her expertise and her wonderful equipment every week for fun-filled activities to strengthen bodies and minds through physical activities. During gym classes children work their large muscles, learn body parts and practice body co-ordination by following simple instructions. This year, they are also working on fine motor skills as well to increase stimulation of all body parts. The children will engage in activities such as warm-up exercises, breathing correctly, bending, stretching, balancing, jumping, hopping, skipping, bean bag tossing, playing with parachutes and participating in games using the skills of rolling, throwing and catching.

Hebrew: The children in the three year old and the four year old classes have the opportunity to learn Hebrew language with a special program for Pre-school age children called "Chalav U’ Dvash." This is a program from Israel created by the State's Early Childhood Department from the Ministry of Education. Our Hebrew specialist, Muriel Shoshan, teaches the children daily to provide them with Hebrew language in a natural environment as a native speaker.

All of the children are given the opportunity to learn basic Hebrew vocabulary. Through activities designed to foster an understanding of Judaism and Judaic principles, children begin to understand and use simple Hebrew terminology. Children learn Hebrew through flannel board, puppets, songs, and storytelling and they are encouraged to use Hebrew during activities such as Israeli dancing, and holidays and Shabbat celebrations.
 

Music: The children in the Toddlers group through the four years olds have Music once a week with our Music specialist, Becky Gordon. The children at the Learning Ladder have the opportunity to learn to appreciate music through singing songs and making sounds. Children engage in musical activities such as tapping and clapping to different kinds of rhythms, using instruments, differentiating between loud and soft, dancing, marching, and singing favorite songs, new songs and theme songs.

Shabbat: All children at the Learning Ladder celebrate Shabbat at the end of each week. Every Friday, a member of Oheb Shalom’s clergy comes into the classroom to help welcome Shabbat with the children. Children and adults together engage in activities that build a positive Jewish identity, knowledge of Jewish celebrations and traditions, as well as a familiarity with Jewish rituals, symbols, and ritual objects. Blessings are recited over the candles, grape juice, challah, as well as the children, and then everyone joins in singing and storytelling.

Storytelling: All children at the Learning Ladder have ample opportunities to be exposed to varied styles and genres of age appropriate literature. By listening to stories read by adults, children are encouraged to develop creative thinking, appreciation and respect for books, a love of reading, as well
  as build language and vocabulary skills.