Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Does your child invent creatures the way other kids collect them? Are their sketchbooks full of original beasts with detailed backstories and special abilities? Creature Lab is where young creators design and build creatures from scratch, learning real art and design skills while letting their imaginations run completely wild. Your child will finally be surrounded by other kids who think "What if it had six legs and could breathe underwater?" is a perfectly normal question.
Does your student love world-building in a realistic way? Do they like folding science into their fiction to make it more believable? In Creature Lab, students design an original species from the ground up.
Students begin with a rough description of a fictional creature, then refine it by taking the traits they want and researching real-world parallels and the implications of each one.
Working outward, students decide what environmental pressures would produce their creature, from predators and prey to weather, geography, and interactions with sapient species.
An organism's form and function tell the story of its evolution, making Creature Lab a fantastic, immersive worldbuilding tool.
Every mythical creature carries a story about the culture that created it. Your child explores mythology, symbolism, and history from around the world through a lens that genuinely excites them. Parents tell us their kids start recognizing cultural themes and storytelling patterns in books, movies, and games on their own.
Your child does not just imagine creatures. They research real anatomy, cultural traditions, and historical contexts, then use that knowledge to design something original. That blend of research and creative thinking is exactly what schools value in project-based learning. Parents see their kids bringing more depth and detail to every creative project.
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 unlocks 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.
Discover mythical creatures from cultures around the world, learning the legends, symbols, and historical contexts behind each one 
Build research and analytical skills by comparing fictional creatures to real biology and cultural traditions 
Discuss mythology, legends, and creative design with peers who share their love of fantastic creatures and world-building 
Design their own original mythical creature, drawing on everything they have learned about biology, culture, and storytelling 
Monica enjoys teaching 2E students through a strength based lens, using humor and novelty to grow interest in new topics. She also encourages students to observe the world around them and see nature, games, and art as opportunities to continue learning in all aspects of their lives.
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.
★★★★★
"Monica helped my son design an entire species and then justify every trait with real biology. He was hooked."
Delia F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter folds science into her stories now. Monica showed her how form and function tell a creature's history."
Ronan M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica helped my son design an entire species and then justify every trait with real biology. He was hooked."
Delia F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter folds science into her stories now. Monica showed her how form and function tell a creature's history."
Ronan M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica's course was perfect for my worldbuilder. He researched predators, climate, and geography for his own creature."
Kaya S.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter's imagination finally has structure. Monica taught her to ground fantasy in real science."
Gideon L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica's course was perfect for my worldbuilder. He researched predators, climate, and geography for his own creature."
Kaya S.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter's imagination finally has structure. Monica taught her to ground fantasy in real science."
Gideon L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica makes research feel like play. My son learned more biology inventing a creature than in any textbook."
Marisol P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The way Monica connects made-up creatures to real evolution amazed my son, in the best way."
Hugh T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica makes research feel like play. My son learned more biology inventing a creature than in any textbook."
Marisol P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The way Monica connects made-up creatures to real evolution amazed my son, in the best way."
Hugh T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica helped my son design an entire species and then justify every trait with real biology. He was hooked."
Delia F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter folds science into her stories now. Monica showed her how form and function tell a creature's history."
Ronan M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica's course was perfect for my worldbuilder. He researched predators, climate, and geography for his own creature."
Kaya S.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter's imagination finally has structure. Monica taught her to ground fantasy in real science."
Gideon L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica makes research feel like play. My son learned more biology inventing a creature than in any textbook."
Marisol P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The way Monica connects made-up creatures to real evolution amazed my son, in the best way."
Hugh T.
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.
Most online classes put 20-30 kids in a room with a teacher who reads slides. At YSA, your child joins a group of 8 or fewer students who think like they do, led by a mentor who was often once just like them. Cameras are optional. The content is chosen by passion, not grade level. And 93% of families re-enroll - because kids who have never liked school before fight to log on to YSA.
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.
Creature Lab 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.
An internet connection and a can-do attitude!