This year, the Graz, Austria site was notable for the number and variety of afternoon activities that IUHPFL students participated in. They visited the Schlossberg, the site of a demolished fortress; the Styrian Armory; Burggarten Park; and the CoSA Science Museum, which had interactive activities to demonstrate scientific concepts.
Especially unique were the Ludovico Board Game Library and an upcycling workshop the students participated in. At Ludovico, there are over 3,800 board games that patrons can play for free or check out for a small fee. An employee recommended some starter games for the IUHPFL students, and they got to practice their German while playing.
During the upcycling workshop, the students learned how to make wallets out of old inner tubes from truck tires. Upcycling refers to using discarded materials to create something new. Again, along with learning new skills, the students got to practice German in an unfamiliar context with new vocabulary for materials, tools, and actions. At the end, each student had created a wallet to take home!
The students got a taste of all that Graz had to offer. The diversity of activities meant they could use German and connect with one another in new ways.
