An education you can choose —
on purpose.
Welcome to The Handpicked Education!
The Handpicked Education & Co. is a nonprofit community created to support families who want an intentional, thoughtful approach to learning.
I want school to be …
Intentional
✳︎
Playful
✳︎
Gentle
✳︎
Honest
✳︎
Full of Wonder
✳︎
Intentional ✳︎ Playful ✳︎ Gentle ✳︎ Honest ✳︎ Full of Wonder ✳︎
The Foundry Lab is a hands on entrepreneurship experience designed for curious teens who enjoy thinking creatively, solving problems, and exploring real-world ideas.
Located in the heart of Old Town Orange, students will spend the week studying local businesses, exploring the Orange Circle, and identifying opportunities for new ideas within one of Southern California’s most historic small business districts.
Throughout the week students will:
• Explore real businesses around the Orange Circle (3 Walkable Field Trips)
• Observe what can make a businesses successful
• Identify opportunities in a real marketplace
• Explore a business idea that would add value to the district
• Present their concept in The Forum
The week concludes with The Forum, where students share their ideas and insights with peers in a supportive, discussion-based setting.
The Foundry Lab is designed as a preview of the Foundry & Forum programs launching this fall, where students will continue building entrepreneurial thinking, communication skills, and real-world creativity.
For more than 150 years, the Orange Circle has been a place where entrepreneurs opened storefronts, served their community, and built lasting businesses. The Foundry Lab invites students to step into that tradition—studying the district, exploring its businesses, and imagining what ideas might belong here next.
Fall Schedule Preview
The Foundry - Wednesdays | 9am to 12pm | Creative Commons 1-3pmIn The Foundry, students gain hands on, real world experience in essential
business and professional skills. From mastering Google Workspace and
crafting standout résumés to learning marketing strategies and building
networks, The Foundry equips students with practical tools to thrive. Each
session blends actionable skill building with real life scenarios, ensuring
students walk away ready to navigate professional environments, take on
leadership roles, and confidently step into their future ventures.
The Forum - Fridays | 9am to 12pm | Creative Commons 1-3pm
The Forum is where entrepreneurial ideas take flight. Each week, students
tackle hands on business or entrepreneurial objectives, applying their
creativity and critical thinking to real-world challenges. Once a month, a guest
speaker, (an experienced entrepreneur) joins us to share their journey and
insights. Students engage in Q&A, making connections between their own
projects and the wisdom of real world practitioners. It’s a dynamic blend of
doing and learning, inspiring students to shape their own entrepreneurial
paths.
The Gentle Writers’ Workshop is a spring break writing experience for children ages 8–12 who find writing challenging, frustrating, or overwhelming.
This workshop focuses on helping children feel calm, confident, and capable in their writing through thoughtful stories, discussion, and creative language experiences in a supportive small-group setting.
Students are guided to organize their thoughts, express ideas clearly, and build strong writing habits through gentle instruction, meaningful conversation, and engaging activities—without pressure or correction-heavy methods.
Location: Orange
Dates: Week of March 30th. Dates are Monday through Wednesday. 3/31, 4/1, and 4/2.
Cost: $210 for all three days. (email thehandpickeded@gmail.com for sibling discount)
About Character Camp
Character Camp is a 5-day summer experience designed to help kids explore who they are and who they want to be. Through art, play, nature, and hands on activities, campers dive into one character trait each day. Things like perseverance, friendship, integrity, and self-control and practice what those values actually look like in real life.
The goal isn’t just to talk about good character, it’s to live it. Kids work together, create, move, and reflect in ways that build confidence and genuine connection with their peers. Every activity is intentional, but camp is still camp — fun comes first of course!
Because spots are kept small, every child gets personal attention and the chance to really be seen and known throughout the week. By the end of the five days, kids leave with more than just memories, they leave with a deeper understanding of themselves and the tools to show up well in the world around them.
About Your Instructors
Jian and Kokie are lifelong best friends who have spent nearly 30+ years combined working with kids. Jian has run her own in-home daycare for more than a decade, and in partnership with many nonprofits, Kokie has organized several summer and weekend programs for disadvantaged youth in Southern California. They can’t wait to bring this fun experience to their new students and grandchildren!
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“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
William Butler Yates
Become a HP Nature Group Facilitator
Lead local nature groups. Serve families. Build meaningful community—right where you are.
January Newsletter
“Hi friends,
January is such a strange month in homeschool life. We’ve started a brand new year, but we’re still right in the middle of a school year that began back in August or September. For some of us that feels refreshing, like we get a second chance. For others it feels overwhelming, like we’re behind and can’t catch up…”
Contact Us
Curious about programs, community or working together? Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch soon!