Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Is your child fascinated by rainforests, wildlife, or faraway places? Do they ask questions about the natural world that go way beyond what their textbooks cover? In this course, Dr. Eric, a real field researcher, takes students deep into the Amazon, exploring its ecology, its people, and why it matters to all of us. Your child will learn from someone who has actually been there, and they'll come away seeing the natural world in a whole new way.
This course is not currently being offered. Please check back later or explore our other available courses.
The Amazon is one of the most important places on Earth -- and one of the most threatened. In this 5-day course, students get to know it up close.
Students learn about the Amazon's importance to the planet, the indigenous people who have lived in the rainforest for over 10,000 years, the physical destruction and threats facing Amazonian communities, and the ways local and global communities have come together to save it.
Throughout the week, I discuss the Amazon alongside maps, indigenous art, and photography meant to generate conversation, build awareness, and exercise creative problem solving.
By the conclusion of the course, students will be able to geographically locate the Amazon, discuss its environmental importance, appreciate the contributions of its indigenous people, and see themselves as part of global caretaking.
The Amazon is a lens into ecology, indigenous culture, colonialism, and conservation all at once. Your child builds the kind of broad, interdisciplinary understanding that schools increasingly value. Parents tell us their kids come away more curious about the world and more thoughtful about humanity's impact on it.
This is not abstract environmentalism. Your child learns about real threats, real communities, and real solutions. That grounding in concrete examples builds the kind of informed perspective that shows up in classroom discussions, essays, and the way they think about their place in the world.
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.
Learn about the Amazon rainforest, from its importance to the planet to the indigenous communities that have lived there for over 10,000 years 
Build awareness of ecological destruction, conservation efforts, and how local and global communities are working to save the Amazon 
Engage in mentor-led discussions using maps, indigenous art, and photography that bring the Amazon to life 
Develop a sense of global responsibility and creative problem-solving around real environmental challenges 
Hi! Thank you for taking a moment to learn a bit about me and about how I might be able to help support your learner on their educational journey. Over the past twenty-five years, I have valued the opportunity to teach across various educational levels including, K-12 public schools, community colleges, and at 4-year public and private universities. I hold a PhD in Sociology and I am a generalist by training. I currently teach courses in the areas of class, culture, family, ethnicity, gender, methodology, philosophy, race, social justice, and theory. I also actively mentor students in research, writing, and in their continuation into graduate, law, and medical school. Over the past decade, I have also created programs to help incoming college students develop a sense of belonging, connect to positive peers, and academically excel. In all of my classes, I work to develop strategies that foster presence, openness and a reflexive learning environment where student support, acknowledgement of the intrinsic value of every student, and efforts to promote student persistence and success are requisite. Through critical, contextualized learning; active and ongoing student mentorship; progressive and responsive course development, and the creation of experiential opportunities, I have constructed inclusive and enriched academic experiences for students, where they are at, and that help equip them for where they want to go. At YSA, I look forward to providing courses that build knowledge through reflexive, reciprocal learning, to inspire growth in the minds and lives of our students, and to help foster belonging within this rich learning community. See you soon! Eric
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 daughter can now find the Amazon on a map and explain why it matters to the whole planet. Dr. Eric made it come alive with real images and stories."
Rosa C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric taught my son about the indigenous people of the rainforest with such respect. He came away caring about a place he had never thought about before."
Elliot M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter can now find the Amazon on a map and explain why it matters to the whole planet. Dr. Eric made it come alive with real images and stories."
Rosa C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric taught my son about the indigenous people of the rainforest with such respect. He came away caring about a place he had never thought about before."
Elliot M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The maps, art, and photography Dr. Eric shared had my daughter completely absorbed. She is now the household expert on the Amazon."
Nadia F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric does not just teach facts. My son learned how communities are fighting to save the rainforest, and now he wants to help too."
Grant P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The maps, art, and photography Dr. Eric shared had my daughter completely absorbed. She is now the household expert on the Amazon."
Nadia F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric does not just teach facts. My son learned how communities are fighting to save the rainforest, and now he wants to help too."
Grant P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter finished this course feeling like a caretaker of the planet. Dr. Eric turned worry into purpose."
Leena T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric connected ecology and culture in a way that made my son think about the whole world differently. Beautifully taught."
Marco V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter finished this course feeling like a caretaker of the planet. Dr. Eric turned worry into purpose."
Leena T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric connected ecology and culture in a way that made my son think about the whole world differently. Beautifully taught."
Marco V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter can now find the Amazon on a map and explain why it matters to the whole planet. Dr. Eric made it come alive with real images and stories."
Rosa C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric taught my son about the indigenous people of the rainforest with such respect. He came away caring about a place he had never thought about before."
Elliot M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The maps, art, and photography Dr. Eric shared had my daughter completely absorbed. She is now the household expert on the Amazon."
Nadia F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric does not just teach facts. My son learned how communities are fighting to save the rainforest, and now he wants to help too."
Grant P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter finished this course feeling like a caretaker of the planet. Dr. Eric turned worry into purpose."
Leena T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Dr. Eric connected ecology and culture in a way that made my son think about the whole world differently. Beautifully taught."
Marco V.
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.
Very. Our science courses are designed around engagement, not lectures. Students participate in live discussions, experiments they can do at home, collaborative investigations, and real-world applications. The small group format means every student is actively involved every session - no hiding in the back of a 30-person class.
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.
Ecology & Culture: The Amazon- Dr. Eric 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!