Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Is your child the kind of kid who takes things apart just to see how they work? Arduino Robotics is a hands-on course where students get into the exciting world of robotics and programming. From building their first working circuits to programming robotic inventions, students turn their ideas into reality. This course is not just about learning robotics. It is about growing as inventors, problem solvers, and creators.
Arduino is the heart of hardware programming. In this hands-on course, your child learns how to create their very own robots, turning big ideas into real, working machines.
Students start by learning how a circuit works, move on to making an LED flash, and build all the way up to creating their own autonomous vehicles. Each step combines technical skill with plenty of imagination.
Your child builds hands-on robotics and programming skills, sharpens creative problem-solving as they tackle open-ended challenges, and finishes with a custom robotic creation of their own design. Along the way they gain real confidence in STEM.
This course is an invitation to experiment, create, and make some captivating custom creations. Bring your biggest ideas and plenty of imagination.
This is not a simulation. Your child builds actual circuits, programs real sensors, and troubleshoots physical machines. That hands-on experience with hardware and code is exactly what robotics programs, STEM competitions, and engineering schools look for on applications.
By the end of this course, your child will have gone from learning the basics to designing their own robotic project from scratch. Parents tell us this is when the lightbulb really goes on. Their kid stops following tutorials and starts creating, and that inventor mindset carries into everything else.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That opens up two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Build and program real circuits using Arduino, learning how sensors, motors, and code work together 
Develop logical thinking and debugging skills by solving open-ended engineering challenges with physical hardware 
Collaborate on creative builds with peers who love tinkering, testing, and figuring out how things work 
Finish the course with a custom robotic creation they designed and built entirely on their own 
Hey there! I'm Alex! I've been a game developer for 10 years, and I've worked for Meta and Target. I've also developed a few games, including Totally Reliable Delivery Service (A multiplayer physics game about delivery packages poorly) and Ollie-Oop, a 3D platformer about a skateboarding dog named Ollie who goes on the adventure of his dreams! I was also a home school kid all through elementary school up until college. I love all kinds of video games, puzzles, escape rooms, mystery/detective movies, retro gaming, mechanical keyboards, cooking, and I love dogs!
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"My son wired up his first Arduino circuit with Alex and came running to show me the blinking light like he had invented electricity. He has not stopped tinkering since."
Vanessa B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My twice-exceptional daughter needs to build with her hands to learn, and Alex's robotics course is exactly that. She finally found a subject where her hands and her brain agree."
Regina B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son wired up his first Arduino circuit with Alex and came running to show me the blinking light like he had invented electricity. He has not stopped tinkering since."
Vanessa B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My twice-exceptional daughter needs to build with her hands to learn, and Alex's robotics course is exactly that. She finally found a subject where her hands and her brain agree."
Regina B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son told me, I actually like school now. That is because of Alex."
Sonia B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex understands neurodivergent kids in a way her old school never did. The difference in my daughter is night and day."
Tanya B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son told me, I actually like school now. That is because of Alex."
Sonia B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex understands neurodivergent kids in a way her old school never did. The difference in my daughter is night and day."
Tanya B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Every week my son comes out of Alex's class buzzing about what he learned. It is the highlight of his week."
Denise B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex builds a room where being the quirky kid is the best thing you can be. My daughter thrives there."
Gina B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Every week my son comes out of Alex's class buzzing about what he learned. It is the highlight of his week."
Denise B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex builds a room where being the quirky kid is the best thing you can be. My daughter thrives there."
Gina B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son wired up his first Arduino circuit with Alex and came running to show me the blinking light like he had invented electricity. He has not stopped tinkering since."
Vanessa B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My twice-exceptional daughter needs to build with her hands to learn, and Alex's robotics course is exactly that. She finally found a subject where her hands and her brain agree."
Regina B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son told me, I actually like school now. That is because of Alex."
Sonia B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex understands neurodivergent kids in a way her old school never did. The difference in my daughter is night and day."
Tanya B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Every week my son comes out of Alex's class buzzing about what he learned. It is the highlight of his week."
Denise B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex builds a room where being the quirky kid is the best thing you can be. My daughter thrives there."
Gina B.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Specific hardware requirements are listed in the Materials section above and shared after enrollment. Our mentors walk students through setup in the first session. The hands-on nature of robotics and engineering courses makes them ideal for kinesthetic learners and students who thrive when they can build something real while learning.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Arduino Robotics meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
For this class there will be a robotics kit to purchase from Amazon for $50