10/30/2023

Service Projects in Vienna

During our stay in Vienna, we were each assigned a service project to go to. This took place about every other week for a couple of hours at a time. I was assigned a position at an elementary school along with three of my peers. On each visit we were expected to prepare and carry out activities for fourth graders. As an elementary education major, this service project was a really exciting opportunity for me. Before each visit, I and the other three students would meet to prepare art projects, games, and music to do with the children, and send our plan to the supervising teacher to have it approved. On the day of our visits, we would do what we had planned with the classes which was always a super fun time! For one project we did with the class we had the students cut out their hand prints, decorate them, and put them up to create a tree.

Another time we made the tallest towers possible using just spaghetti and marshmallows. The class also loved playing games such as Hangman, Pictionary, and Simon Says. The students did not have much experience with English yet, so our time with them gave them practice. It was also more fun for them than their typical English lessons! This time also helped me learn a few more words in German and learn more about Viennese culture and their school system. Being able to spend some time in a classroom while studying abroad was a super beneficial experience for me. I was able to get some practice with teaching while also learning so much. I also was able to have a super fun time playing games, doing projects, and singing and dancing with an awesome class of fourth-grade students!

-Daphne Kropf