Vanessa

Bilingual Mandarin and Creative Arts Teacher

Resources

Bookings

Kitchen Adventures Baking Bonanza

Mondays

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4:00pm - 5:00pm

10 Classes

1/12, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30

Grades 6-8

20 students

A.P. Giannini Middle School

3151 Ortega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
Crayon Fun: Drawing Fruits

Tuesdays

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8:15am - 9:15am

12 Classes

9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/9, 12/16

Grades K-5

20 students

Kitchen Adventures Baking Bonanza

Tuesdays

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4:45pm - 5:45pm

4 Classes

2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

Grades 1-8

20 students

Bessie Carmichael Elementary School

375 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Mandarin Mingle Language and Art

Wednesdays

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3:35pm - 4:35pm

8 Classes

9/17, 10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10

Grades 5-8

5 students

Kitchen Adventures Baking Bonanza

Wednesdays

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3:45pm - 4:45pm

8 Classes

2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25

Grade 4

20 students

Kitchen Adventures Baking Bonanza

Wednesdays

β€’

4:45pm - 5:45pm

8 Classes

2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25

Grade 4

20 students

Kitchen Adventures Baking Bonanza

Fridays

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5:00pm - 6:00pm

10 Classes

1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20

Grades 6-8

20 students

Lawton Alternative School (BACR)

1570 31st Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
Kitchen Adventures Baking Bonanza

Fridays

β€’

4:00pm - 5:00pm

10 Classes

1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20

Grades 4-5

20 students

Lawton Alternative School (BACR)

1570 31st Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
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Experiences

Explore the fascinating world of STEM. Embark on an exciting journey through science, exploring the wonders of the brain and nervous system. Discover how the incredible body plays a role in thinking and feeling through engaging activities and interactive experiences.
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Children cultivate their love for nature and discover the magic that blooms from the soil. Young green thumbs explore the plant lifecycle and the beauty of flowers. Experience the thrill of nurturing life from sowing seeds to observing plant growth.
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Enter a world of vibrant creativity as young artists explore drawing with crayons, capturing the essence of their favorite fruits. From juicy watermelons to bright bananas, this fun experience builds essential art skills and encourages imaginative expression.
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Dive into a colorful crochet adventure perfect for little hands and big imaginations. Create charming rectangles that become bookmarks or coasters, exploring beautiful yarns and patterns. Develop fine motor skills while crafting unique, cherished items.
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Dive into creativity by exploring the art of crochet! This multi-week series introduces easy techniques to create colorful bracelets and anklets. Enjoy experimenting with yarn hues, building fine motor skills, and crafting fun accessories for a rewarding experience.
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Dive into a world of creativity with crochet! Kids will craft charming keychains, hearts, stars, and balls from yarn. These projects spark imagination and develop fine motor skills, allowing each child to express their unique style through joyful craftsmanship.
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Explore a vibrant world where young artists unleash their imagination and creativity. Dive into the process of creating unique collages by mixing papers, cloths, and magazine scraps. This adventure sparks creativity, enhances fine motor skills, and encourages innovative thinking.
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Dive into the colorful world of crochet! Discover the joy of transforming yarn into delightful designs with a crochet hook. This beginner-friendly adventure encourages imagination and confidence as children create beautiful pieces, blending creativity and skill-building.
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Embark on an artistic journey into the vibrant world of bracelet-making, where imagination flourishes. Kids will discover the joy of creating unique bead, knot, braided, and friendship bracelets, enhancing fine motor skills and artistic flair through fun techniques.
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Children explore gentle movements and mindful relaxation through stretching. This engaging experience unveils the magic of flexibility and deep breathing. Playful exercises enhance body awareness, reduce stress, and promote a sense of calm and balance.
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Step into the enchanting tales of ancient China and let imaginations soar with the story of Pangu. Discover key Chinese words like egg, mountain, ocean, sky, and more. Act out Pangu's epic adventures, build language skills, and create stunning illustrations.
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Step into Chinese culture with a wonderful experience where children explore the magic of art and language. Discover pictographic script and learn Chinese characters resembling their meanings. Engage in hands-on projects, drawing characters and bringing scripts to life creatively.
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Embark on an exciting expedition into the vibrant world of Chinese culture. Explore the animal signs in the Chinese zodiac and delve into mythical stories to learn about the significance of these creatures in history. Draw enchanting animals and integrate Chinese characters.
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Embark on an enchanting journey into the world of adventurous tales from ancient China. Dive into captivating stories of the mischievous Monkey King while introducing key Chinese words. Act out scenes and use new vocabulary in playful, engaging ways.
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Let kids explore the delightful world of egg-free, vegan baking. They'll create scrumptious pita bread, crazy cakes, and chewy oatmeal cookies, discovering new kitchen skills and the joy of innovative, inclusive culinary arts in every session.
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Stir up fun in the kitchen with this engaging cooking and baking adventure. Discover the magic of preparing delicious dishes and treats while enhancing kitchen skills. Explore flavors and textures, crafting scrumptious masterpieces to share with family and friends.
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Children explore Mandarin through vibrant activities, using crayons for drawing and writing, sparking joy and curiosity. Glue sticks and colorful projects encourage hands-on experiences, fostering confidence in a playful, supportive environment.
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About Vanessa

Vanessa is a bilingual educator in Mandarin, dedicated to teaching grades K-6. With a flair for integrating her interests in cooking, the Chinese language, and crafts, she creates a joyful and imaginative learning environment where students can thrive. Her dedication to fostering creativity and confidence in young learners is complemented by her pursuit of a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy, aiming to support every child's unique journey. Vanessa's students benefit from her warm approach and the enriching experiences she brings into the classroom.

Class reflections

Mandarin Mingle Language and Art

πŸŽ‰

November 13, 2025

Brandeis SF

Went great. Kids are very eager to learn.

Learned tongue twister to better pronounce tones. Learned animals and colors. Okay charade games ro guess the animal and pronounce the animal names. Matched colors and animals together. Practice writing.

Fun With Crochet!

πŸŽ‰

November 11, 2025

A.P. Giannini Middle School

It went well.

This is the last class. We continued/finished up with the projects. At the end I asked students to reflect on the class series, what did they take away, Whats their favorite part, what’s the most challenging part. Had group discussion and sharing time. We also brainstormed and shared what crocheting projects they would like to do in the future on their own.

Crayon Fun: Drawing Fruits

🍦

November 5, 2025

YMCA/Sutro Elementary

It was good. The kids had fun with the ice cream house part.

Started with reflection on their project last class. What happened when they gave away the Halloween card they made. Then we learned to draw a normal house with garden and pets and nature. Then we drew ice cream, and a fantasy ice cream house and a candy garden. Then I asked them to reflect on what kind of fantasy house they want and draw that.

Brainy Adventures in STEM Discovery

🧠

November 4, 2025

San Francisco Day School

It was ok. A little chaotic. But the teachers there were helpful and gave me play dough to use.

Learned about the different parts of the brain, what they do, use play dough to construct a brain, different colors for different parts

Mandarin Mingle Language and Art

πŸŽ‰

October 29, 2025

Brandeis SF

It went really well, the kids are very well-behaved and eager to learn and very engaged with the class.

since Halloween has a few days later from the class today, we just learned about Chinese words related to Halloween like candy chocolate and learned about like how the state different festivals different seasons

Crayon Fun: Drawing Fruits

πŸŽƒ

October 28, 2025

YMCA/Sutro Elementary

I want fine, some of the kids, I mean they start running around but they were able to sit down when I ask them.

Because Halloween's, coming up, I decided to have the kids, make a Halloween card to give it to their friends or parents were never. So I just had them like talk about what they like about Halloween, and then we use those as ideas to draw. And I also guided them through like two projects that was like just set like everyone's the same and that we highlight, go portion of like free drawing and now we have another portion of like playing games where it's like, you pass your drawing. Around and the other person out on it and then the end, we just did cleanup and reflection.

Fun With Crochet!

🧢

October 28, 2025

A.P. Giannini Middle School

The kids just worked on their project, I have the kids who are more advanced, who have some crocheting skills to work on their own projects following like YouTube tutorials. And I sat with the kids who need more help with how to do it.

Fun With Crochet!

😊

October 18, 2025

A.P. Giannini Middle School

It went well.

Kept working on crochet project, learned how to do the second line.

Joyful Gardening: Sunshine and Sprouts Adventure

🌱

October 8, 2025

Chinese American International School (CAIS)

It was fine. It was a little bit chaotic. I had to pick the kids up from different classrooms and then drop them off at different locations. It was kind of hard to keep track of especially when I don't know which kid is which a little bit and I guess classroom management was also a little bit challenging today. They really want to play with dirt by the have Dirk's. I'm just stopping. I was just like you know some of them didn't want to do the drawing activity but at the end I mean I think it's still one. Okay.

Today at class, I'm just substituting. So I got like an activity for them to like talk about their dream garden and then draw it so that's what we did.

Mandarin Mingle Language and Art

πŸ”€

September 18, 2025

Brandeis SF

The question is blank not sure what to write.

I taught them how to pronounce the tones, they've learned that before but I was just helping them perfect their identification of pronunciation. And then I popped to right? The characters and hotdogs the basic components and that I had to do it themselves.

Testimonials

Coming soon!
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