Vanessa

Bilingual Mandarin and Creative Arts Teacher

Resources

Bookings

Mandarin Mingle Language and Art

Wednesdays

โ€ข

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

Fun With Crochet!

Fridays

โ€ข

5:00pm - 6:00pm

6 Classes

10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7

Grades 6-7

20 students

A.P. Giannini Middle School

3151 Ortega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
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Experiences

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

๐Ÿ”ค

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.

The Monkey King: Chinese Immersion Stories

๐ŸŒ€

September 10, 2025

Mission Dolores Academy

Today we tried to split the kids up into two groups as instructed on the paper, so one group stay inside for Chinese class and one group get to run outside. But the students who were chosen to stay inside loudly complained that itโ€™s not fair and they want to go outside. So we decided to give the kids the choice to stay inside or not due to their strong opinions. 2 kids stayed, and 2 later joined towards the end of class. The hand off was a bit difficult since I needed to leave but the kids did not want to go outside where the other teacher will be watching them. I got the kids out but they got away from me to run back in. I informed the teacher outside and she went in to get them.

Teach kids the 5 tones of Chinese. Helped kids identify and pronounce different tones. Learned a few new words with an emphasis on pronunciation. Did some drawing activities. Did a wrap up talking about what they liked about the lesson.

Stretching: Flexy Fun Body Basics

๐Ÿ˜…

September 9, 2025

Mission Dolores Academy

Class was pretty chaotic. I got there and was told the auditorium where the class is supposed to be, is not available today due to w school event. Then we were going to go the class outside. But there are a lot more kids outside and theyโ€™re running wild already. The teachers talked among ourselves and thought we could split the kids up. And then we found out the auditorium event happens at 4:30. So we thought we could get the kids in the auditorium to do the class after all. But then older kids started filling up the auditorium in anticipation of the event. Another teacher came to help me get the older kids into a corner. Another teacher was helping me get the kids in from outside. But a lot of younger kids didnโ€™t come in. Eventually, two kids came to class and the other teacher told me to just start first and sheโ€™ll get more kids in so I started and then soon after the two kids parents came and got them and then there were two kids who wanted to do the class and I just did some of my lesson plans with them Until the end of class, but I was a little bit stressed out because I have planned my lesson around having the auditorium then I realize I canโ€™t have it and then I realize I could, but there are other older kids and then it was hard to get kids already running free to come to a lesson.

I teach some kids breathing and yoga movements

The Monkey King: Chinese Immersion Stories

โœ๏ธ

September 3, 2025

Mission Dolores Academy

Good

Learned to read and write some Chinese words. Did drawing activity

The Monkey King: Chinese Immersion Stories

๐ŸŒŸ

September 3, 2025

Mission Dolores Academy

Went well. Kids were well behaved

We learned the concept of iconicity, learn to write and pronounce a few Chinese words and did a drawing activity

Testimonials

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