Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Does your child notice things in nature that everyone else walks right past? Are they the kid flipping over rocks, examining leaves, and asking why the creek looks different today? Ecology Field Detectives puts that curiosity to work. Students learn to observe, investigate, and think like real ecologists, solving environmental mysteries using the same skills scientists use in the field. Your little naturalist finally gets to be the expert.
This course is not currently being offered. Please check back later or explore our other available courses.
If your student loves the outdoors and is always looking for something new to spot, this is the course for them. Between sessions, students head outside to explore and record observations of what they find in their own area.
When they meet, students share what they discovered and learn how these organisms fit together in the ecosystem and interact with one another, turning everyday walks into real investigation.
Through challenges to find and identify organisms, students learn how their individual observations at home and on walks can contribute to genuine scientific research.
Every observation sharpens their attention, and every session shows them that science is happening right outside their door.
This course feeds the hunger to understand how the world works. Your child builds real scientific thinking, not just memorized facts, through investigation and discovery guided by an expert mentor. Parents tell us their kids start designing their own experiments at home and asking questions that go far beyond the textbook.
When science connects to things your child already cares about, it sticks. This course bridges classroom concepts and real-world applications in ways that make learning feel natural and exciting. Parents see their kids retain more, engage more, and develop genuine enthusiasm for discovery.
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.
Feed their scientific curiosity, building real investigative skills guided by an expert mentor 
Develop the ability to ask good questions, design investigations, and draw evidence-based conclusions 
Connect classroom science to real-world applications in ways that make learning feel natural and genuinely exciting 
Build confidence approaching complex scientific material in a small group where every question is welcomed 
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 got my son outside every week to record what he found, and now he sees our backyard as an ecosystem."
Bianca T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter loves that her observations count toward real research. Monica makes science feel important."
Curtis E.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica got my son outside every week to record what he found, and now he sees our backyard as an ecosystem."
Bianca T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter loves that her observations count toward real research. Monica makes science feel important."
Curtis E.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica turned our neighborhood walks into investigations. My kid brings a notebook everywhere now."
Leilani M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The challenges Monica sets keep my son motivated to explore. He cannot wait to share his finds each session."
Paul D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica turned our neighborhood walks into investigations. My kid brings a notebook everywhere now."
Leilani M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The challenges Monica sets keep my son motivated to explore. He cannot wait to share his finds each session."
Paul D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica helped my quiet daughter connect with peers over the creatures they discovered outside."
Yasmin A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son learned how organisms fit together in an ecosystem, and Monica made every walk a discovery."
Trevor B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica helped my quiet daughter connect with peers over the creatures they discovered outside."
Yasmin A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son learned how organisms fit together in an ecosystem, and Monica made every walk a discovery."
Trevor B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica got my son outside every week to record what he found, and now he sees our backyard as an ecosystem."
Bianca T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter loves that her observations count toward real research. Monica makes science feel important."
Curtis E.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica turned our neighborhood walks into investigations. My kid brings a notebook everywhere now."
Leilani M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The challenges Monica sets keep my son motivated to explore. He cannot wait to share his finds each session."
Paul D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Monica helped my quiet daughter connect with peers over the creatures they discovered outside."
Yasmin A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son learned how organisms fit together in an ecosystem, and Monica made every walk a discovery."
Trevor 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.
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: Field Detectives 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.
A mobile device with a camera for outdoor observations