Chigusa

Artist, Jeweler, Athlete and Multi-Disciplinary Teacher

Resources

Bookings

Global Kids Cooking Adventure

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10:50am - 11:50am

4 Classes

2/17, 2/18, 2/19, 2/20

Grades TK-K

20 students

Caliber Public Schools/Beta Academy

2465 Dolan Way, San Pablo 94806
Samurai Skills Basic Training

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3:20pm - 4:20pm

4 Classes

2/17, 2/18, 2/19, 2/20

Grades TK-K

20 students

Caliber Public Schools/Beta Academy

2465 Dolan Way, San Pablo 94806
Vacation Dreams Acrylic Painting

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2:00pm - 3:00pm

4 Classes

2/17, 2/18, 2/19, 2/20

Grades TK-K

20 students

Caliber Public Schools/Beta Academy

2465 Dolan Way, San Pablo 94806
Nature's Storybook Adventure Club

Mondays

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3:15pm - 4:15pm

8 Classes

3/23, 3/30, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/11, 5/18, 6/1

Grades 3-5

Enrollment pending

Samurai Skills Basic Training

Tuesdays

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4:00pm - 5:00pm

12 Classes

12/2, 12/9, 12/16, 1/6, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10

Grades K-2

11 students

Samurai Skills Basic Training

Tuesdays

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4:00pm - 5:00pm

12 Classes

3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, 6/2, 6/9, 6/16

Grades K-2

Enrollment pending

Jewelry Making Series!

Wednesdays

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4:00pm - 5:00pm

13 Classes

2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27

Grades 4-5

Enrollment pending

Guadalupe Elementary (BACR)

859 Prague St, San Francisco, CA 94112
Basic Baking: Mini Chefs Baking Bonanza

Wednesdays

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3:00pm - 4:00pm

13 Classes

2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27

Grades 1-2

Enrollment pending

Guadalupe Elementary (BACR)

859 Prague St, San Francisco, CA 94112
Mix & Stretch Slime Series

Thursdays

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3:15pm - 4:15pm

12 Classes

12/4, 12/11, 12/18, 1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/26, 3/5, 3/12

Grades K-5

14 students

Succulent Propagation and Garden Decor Stone

Thursdays

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4:00pm - 5:00pm

12 Classes

3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28, 6/4, 6/11

Grades K-2

Enrollment pending

Animal Art Adventure

Fridays

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3:15pm - 4:15pm

9 Classes

12/5, 12/12, 12/19, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13

Grades K-2

10 students

Nature Friendly Crafty Creations

Fridays

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3:15pm - 4:15pm

9 Classes

3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15

Grades K-3

Enrollment pending

View Teaching Calendar

Experiences

Whisk, measure, and bake! Discover the magic of transforming simple ingredients into tasty creations like mini waffles, pizza toast, cookies, baked potatoes, and stuffed croissants. Children will explore measuring and preparing, turning cooking into adventurous learning.
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Embark on a captivating journey into the heart of Japanese culture, exploring traditions and learning the art of Japanese writing and speaking through engaging activities. Experience the elegance of Sumi calligraphy and the thrilling kendo sword martial art. Craft origami fortune animals and play with traditional Japanese folk toys, connecting with history and fun. This series weaves a tapestry of experiences through Japan's rich heritage.
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Explore storytelling and the wonders of nature! Dive into crafting by imagining tales or choosing inspiring topics. Write, draw, and paint to create storybooks. Discover how narratives connect us, and let imagination soar with comic strip storytelling!
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Explore the fascinating world of plants in an enchanting hands-on adventure. Children will propagate succulents and discover diverse plant types while crafting vibrant flowers from paper and balloons and experimenting with colors. Explore essential plant concepts and creativity.
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Explore the wild world where science meets the animal kingdom. Discover biology wonders through interactive projects like creating balloon dogs to learn physics, folding origami animals, and diving into toy-based experiments that spark curiosity and creativity.
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Unleash creativity with a nature-friendly twist in this imaginative art and crafts series. Discarded items transform into treasures through eco-friendly toy making and vibrant collages. Upcycling becomes an exciting adventure, sparking resourcefulness and artistic expression.
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Embark on a tasty trip around the globe with a culinary adventure perfect for young food explorers. From the spicy zest of tacos in Mexico to the artistry of sushi in Japan, participants will craft delicious dishes from diverse cultures and spark their creativity.
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Young creators dive into a world of ooey-gooey fun! In this imaginative experience, they mix their own slime with activators, vibrant colors, glitter, and scents. They'll squish, stretch, and swirl their creations, experimenting with combinations and crafting unique slimes.
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Embark on a journey into a world of enchantment! In this creative series, children let their imaginations soar by designing and painting fantastical creatures, crafting fairy wings, or conjuring mystical items. A magical mix of storytelling and art brings each creation to life.
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Explore the art and culture of Japan through ancient Sumi calligraphy and painting. Discover the beauty of Japanese writing and Sumi techniques, try origami, and enjoy moments of meditation. A creative journey blending tradition and imagination awaits.
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Dive into the world of jewelry making, where creativity sparkles and imagination shines! Kids will learn to craft stunning accessories, exploring braids, daisy chain knots, and twisted cords. Each session allows them to create unique beaded patterns and design wearable art.
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Embark on a STEM adventure where engineering meets art using origami and long balloons. Explore the world of shapes, crafting creative designs with paper folds and balloon twists. Discover geometry, patterns, and problem-solving in a playful, dynamic environment.
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Let imagination run wild on a colorful journey through paint and memories! Participants embark on an adventure to recreate their favorite vacation or mini trip using vibrant acrylics. Experimenting with colors and techniques, they capture cherished moments on canvas.
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Step into a whimsical world of plants and creativity with this enchanting gardening series! Kids embark on a green-thumb adventure, learning the delightful art of succulent propagation using cups or their own planters. They'll paint stone garden decor, transforming ordinary rocks into masterpieces. Along the way, they'll cultivate creativity and patience while building a beautiful garden.
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Introduce your kids to the exciting world of Japanese language, reading, writing and culture with an immersive and creative Japanese Language weekly series! Through activities, games, art, manga and play, kids will gain an appreciation for the Japanese language, as well as the country's and people's rich history and culture.
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Get ready for a whirlwind of twisty fun! Kids will explore the colorful world of balloon artistry, learning to pump, pinch, twist, and shape balloons into amazing creations. They'll master the lock twist and decorate balloons into fantastic forms like playful swords or whimsical hats. Sessions are filled with excitement and new skills.
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Embark on an adventure! In this series, students dive into the world of crystals and minerals, discovering their properties and their impact on physical and emotional well-being. With hands-on activities like painting stones, kids will enhance their creative skills while exploring the benefits of crystals. This experience also reveals secrets from Earth's ancient past, showing how rocks tell the story of our planet's history and evolution. Through interactive learning, students will uncover Earth's transformations over time, making this journey both educational and inspiring. Perfect for young geologists and artists alike, this series is a treasure trove of wonder and discovery!
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"Crochet Cuddles" is an enjoyable dive into the world of crochet. In this delightful series, kids will learn the basics of crocheting, from simple stitches to creating cuddly plushies and accessories. Working with colorful yarns and soft textures, they'll develop fine motor skills and patience. Each session allows children to share their progress and support one another, fostering a sense of accomplishment and community. This heartwarming experience ensures everyone leaves with a handmade treasure and a smile.
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Young athletes will have a blast learning baseball and softball basics in this fun-filled program. They'll develop skills like hand-eye coordination and teamwork through games and drills. Join now for an unforgettable season!
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Embark on a thrilling journey into the world of discovery. This series is perfect for curious minds eager to dive into STEM adventures. Through hands-on experiments and interactive activities, young explorers can unleash their inner scientist and explore the wonders around them. From bubbling concoctions to creative building challenges, each session offers opportunities for fun and learning while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. With lab goggles on and imagination soaring, curiosity and creativity flourish in a world where knowledge knows no bounds.
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Dive into the magical world of paper folding! Kids will transform simple paper into a zoo of delightful creatures. Through hands-on challenges, they'll boost creativity, enhance patience, and develop fine-motor skills. Crafting intricate origami animals improves hand-eye coordination and mental concentration.
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Welcome to the wild and fun Animal Art Adventure! This exciting kids series offers a unique opportunity for children to explore the animal kingdom through art. Each week, children will be introduced to a different animal and their habitats, while creating their own unique pieces of art inspired by the featured creature.
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Embark on a cosmic adventure to explore the mysteries of the universe, planets, stars, the sun, and Earth. Channel creativity through coloring, drawing, and writing about favorite celestial wonders. Using colorful papers, cut, glue, and bind an astrology-themed book, celebrating the joy of storytelling and bookbinding. Leave with a one-of-a-kind book that captures a journey through space and showcases fantastic learning and artistic talents.
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Let your little chefs embark on a tasty adventure! In this delightful experience, kids will explore easy recipes from around the world, discovering the wonders of flavors and spices. Through hands-on food prep, they'll learn about nutrition and the science of cooking, turning the kitchen into a fun learning lab. From simple assembly techniques to creatively decorating their culinary masterpieces, children will enhance their skills and gain confidence in the kitchen. This series will nurture their love for cooking and baking while introducing basic concepts of chemistry and food preparation. Enjoy a delicious journey filled with joy, creativity, and yummy treats!
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Explore Samurai traditions through the ancient Japanese martial art of Kendo. Using foam swords, participants will learn proper grip, stance, and footwork, mastering techniques like strikes, tsuki, do, and kote. The activities also include barefoot meditation and seiza practice, enhancing understanding of Kendo’s etiquette.
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Woven Joy: Simple Crafting for Kids offers a delightful adventure into the world of weaving. With colorful yarns, children engage in crafting sessions that spark imagination and curiosity. They create beautiful designs, develop fine motor skills, and explore patterns and textures in a fun environment.
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This fun and educational experience is great for kids of all ages, and a wonderful way to introduce children to the world of gardening. Through this hands-on activity, they will learn the basics of succulent planting, knotting and weaving a hanging piece, propagating plants, and, if time, painting a planter.
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Kids will cultivate essential gardening skills while exploring sustainability, plantings, succulents, flowers, pollinators, natives, and even soil micro-organisms! 🌱🌸 Let children's love for the environment grow as they learn about edible gardens and the magic of creating a thriving ecosystem right in their backyard.
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Introduce kids to the fascinating world of succulents, air plants and low-water gardening with our Terrarium + Sun Catcher Making learning series! This series encourages creativity and connection to nature as children learn how to create their own tiny gardens, sun-catchers and more, using a variety of natural elements, plants and materials, as well as weaving and beading techniques. A sunny, enjoyable and educational experience kids can enjoy year-round β˜€οΈ
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Students will dive into Japanese culture, exploring kawaii aesthetics through arts, crafts, and storytelling. They'll practice speaking, reading, and writing Japanese, unlocking the magic of Japan. Students build foundational language skills in an exciting way, growing in confidence and cultural awareness.
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Dive into an action-packed adventure of movement and collaboration with friends and teammates! Enjoy classic schoolyard games, basketball, and tee-ball. Try Kendo, the traditional Japanese martial art, refining focus and agility. Complete obstacles and engage in exercises that emphasize teamwork and cooperation.
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Mini Basketball offers young athletes the chance to learn dribbling, passing, and shooting while enhancing their ball-handling skills. Enjoy thrilling games that make running, catching, and throwing exhilarating. Each session boosts confidence and teamwork, fostering a love for sports and healthy playtime.
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About Chigusa

Chigusa loves working with kids, has worked as a children's art teacher for 5 years, and has many passions to share! Among them are jewelry-making, key-chain-making, Sumi Calligraphy, painting, gardening, Japanese language and culture, making sushi, and learning about animals and the outdoors.

Teacher Chigusa is also a talented athlete, particularly in swimming which she's coached for many years. As a student, she was also a member of the competitive basketball and Kendo (Japanese martial arts) teams.

Chigusa is vaccinated against COVID-19, CPR, AED and First Aid certified.

Class reflections

Samurai Skills Basic Training

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February 4, 2026

Alta Vista School

Alright for me but couple of kids started to feel sick today (stomachache & headache). A little menstrual pain for me too. Told them to sip on some water and stretch and rest.

Meditation Stretch Kids count out 1-4 (line leader) 5-8 (everyone else) much better now while we do the suri-ashi laps. New strike practice - kote, push, do Battles

Animal Art Adventure

πŸ§‘β€πŸ€β€πŸ§‘

January 31, 2026

San Francisco Day School

Happy I was able to be surrounded with such a wonderful caring kids to talk about our own species.

Human was an animal of the day. We talked about human evolution and what we are as a species. How we had all these emotions and beliefs since the Stone Age. Started making tools, hunt, farm, domesticating other annimals, etc. And how there used to be 14 different types of human species before us. I had a parachute guy, balloon sword, and a dog ready but we only ended up doing the balloons. Making tools and having a pet dog like a human.

Mix & Stretch Slime Series

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January 30, 2026

Mount Tamalpais School

Kids stayed at their tables more after reminding about last week. Much less slimes on the floor and chairs today

Made slime Used clear glue and shaving gel instead of white glue and shaving cream to see it it would be clear, but slime still came out white. Colored it with red or/and yellow Put glitters

Samurai Skills Basic Training

πŸŽ‰

January 28, 2026

Alta Vista School

During the free fight, one kid told me to join, so I did and everyone started fighting me! It was so fun, and a lot of us got so tired by the end of today’s class. I also talked to the kids about dance party button and the kid who tapped it last week said, β€œno it’s ok we promise we won’t tap it” when I was trying to take it off and wasn’t coming off. I made everyone raise their pinky and promise it, and they never tapped it.

Silence / chinmoku Suriashi laps with line leaders counting 1-4, rest counting 5-8 in Japanese Strikes practices Today, we did 1-20 men And went around to let each kids do 5 strikes with shinai/bamboo sword. Free fight during break Battles 2 Samurai quote cards

Animal Art Adventure

🧢

January 24, 2026

San Francisco Day School

Lots of kids were so excited about how fluffy and chunky the yarns I brought for tails. Had to remind couple of kids not to steal materials. - more than half of big yarns into her sweatshirt.

Started working on new type of paper chinchilla (easier) Finished the origami chinchilla we started in the beginning (harder)

Samurai Skills Basic Training

🏯

January 21, 2026

Alta Vista School

Pretty good! Class went smooth Today, I told kids that class starts β€œnow” as they lined up outside, and we did suri-ashi all the way up the stairs to our classroom. I also decided to give myself 2 min water break out of 5 min and gave kids the chance to free fight for 3 min while I’m watching as a movement break. I think I’ll keep doing those 2 things from now on. It helps kids get in the samurai mode right away, and helps me from giving too much timeouts for kids who just really want to fight whenever they get the chance.

Suri-ashi from parking lot to the classroom 10 sec. Chinmoku Stretch Suriashi 2 laps right 2 laps left Strike practice kneeling with left, With suriashi forward and back Changing speed, finishing fast counting to 20 in Japanese. Partner strikes practice Kote-men Men-do Break Chinmoku & bow Battles Samurai quite

Animal Art Adventure

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January 17, 2026

San Francisco Day School

Both last week and today, I started a class with meditation. Last time, it was because a kid screamed. Today, so they can decide their wish to write down. I think those pauses worked well, because without even giving them 10 seconds, I hear β€œidk what I wish for!” Or β€œidk the next step, can you please help me!?” Before I even show/ teach the next step. I tell them, try by yourself 3 times, then ask your classmate, then me. Or I give them 2 min to figure it out just by watching demonstrations

Wrote wishes to a paper Folded it into a 2 dancing red crowned crane lucky charm Decorated it

Mix & Stretch Slime Series

πŸ§ͺ

January 16, 2026

Mount Tamalpais School

I drew a line on the table today, and told the kids to make slime inside the line / out of the edge of the table. It worked well, less mess. Last time, I only told them to, and they understood, but some of their slime still kept spreading to the edge of the table.

Made slime out of baking soda, water, glue, shaving cream, and contact lens solution and experimented how each of them make the difference in consistency of the slime. Added green, gold and red glitters

Samurai Skills Basic Training

πŸ§˜β€β™‚οΈ

January 14, 2026

Alta Vista School

Using attention getter was helpful today as a lot of kids were so energetic, they wanted to go straight into fighting mode.

Meditation first took so many tries with having to send one kid to time out a few times. Strikes practices kneeling down and standing up with suriashi Men Kote Men Kote Do Divide a class into red and blue after a short break Battles

Samurai Skills Basic Training

πŸ§˜β€β™‚οΈ

January 7, 2026

Alta Vista School

Good I missed the kids

Meditation, stretches, suri-ashi running, strike practices squatting down only on the left hand, standing up with both hand, with suri-ashi, strike practices with partners, Behaved kids that never had to go to timeout got to pick samurai quote card to read out with 1v1 battle

Testimonials

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I wanted to take a moment to personally thank you and the Grasshopper Kids team for leading such engaging and enriching Japanese and Mandarin classes during our February intersession camp. Our students had a fantastic time learning new languages and exploring different cultures through the interactive lessons your teachers facilitated. We truly appreciate the time, effort, and coordination that went into making these classes such a valuable experience for our students. Looking forward to working together again in the future!
Chantal W, Expanded Learning Associate
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I love what the kids made in their experience with Chigusa! She was lovely, and the terrariums and sun catcher are now proudly on display in our home. Kids had a great time.
Cat G
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"Is there anything we can do to improve your experience?" Nothing we can think of thus far! Grasshopper Kids has been a great experience. The support is amazing and always promptly responds to any questions I have.
Shelby G, Assistant Head of School
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this was a wonderful experience β€” easy to book β€” great communication .. flawless
Flora S
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Chigusa was amazing and the kids loved the experience! I'll definitely be booking again!
Nataly L