Gretchen's enthusiasm while teaching is delightful to watch. On the first day of camp she assembles her charges for an energetic nature walk to nearby Turtle River Lake. They slowly march along practicing their words while flapping their imaginary umbrellas up and down and moving backward, forward, and sideways until they reach the lake shore. The kids are soon happily singing along. In another part of Waldsee, Christopher and his group are learning words to help them work as a team while playing a ball game.
Strong emphasis is placed on making everyone a winner.
Since there are no losers, everyone enjoys it. Among these beginners, speaking and understanding the language is the primary focus of their week of learning. Three times daily these families meet for learning that is, of course, fun. As Dean Ilse calls out a color, the girls help each other by excitedly directing blindfolded friends to grab the correctly colored balls. Part of the fun is being splashed with cold water on a hot summer day.