Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Have a kiddo who is obsessed with military history? Do they struggle to find others who share that same passion? Do they wish everyone would sit around and talk about their passion? In Tools of War, THEY WILL! Say hello to your child's people! In Tools of War we will study different pieces of military technology developed during the World Wars. From the drawing board, to the factory floor, to the battlefield, and beyond! Join as we use photography, statistics, diagrams, and primary sources to take these machines apart and understand them from the inside out, and see the impact they had on the wars!.
Have a kid obsessed with military history who struggles to find anyone who shares that passion? In Tools of War, they will finally be surrounded by their people.
Students study the military technology of the World Wars from every angle, from the drawing board to the factory floor to the battlefield and beyond. Using photography, statistics, diagrams, and primary sources, they take these machines apart and understand them from the inside out.
Each week covers a different domain, from planes, tanks, and ships to artillery, small arms, and espionage technology. As students reverse-engineer these tools, they solve the same engineering challenges the designers and generals of the past once faced.
Students develop historical empathy, flex their critical thinking, and see the connections between engineering, physics, psychology, and social history. A group favorite is Fools of War, two sessions on the odd technologies that failed spectacularly in the quest for victory.
The course is academic in nature and avoids graphic depictions of violence, though it does discuss violent behaviors in their historical context. It never celebrates weaponry. It seeks to understand these powerful tools in the context of their intended purpose.
Military history enthusiasts often struggle to find peers who share their intensity. This course gives your child a community of like-minded students and a mentor who matches their enthusiasm. Parents tell us the sense of belonging their kids find here is just as valuable as the history itself.
Understanding how complex machinery was designed and built under wartime pressure teaches engineering thinking, resource management, and cause-and-effect reasoning. Your child builds analytical skills through material they genuinely care about, which means those skills actually stick.
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.
Study military technology from WWI and WWII, tracing each weapon from the drawing board to the factory floor to the battlefield 
Analyze how rapid technological change shaped the outcome of both wars using photography, statistics, diagrams, and primary sources 
Finally connect with peers who share their passion for military history and want to discuss it at the same level of depth 
Develop historical empathy by understanding what motivated the people who designed, built, and used these machines 
Nelson Dean Nelson Dean has been an educator for the last twenty years, working with students of all ages and backgrounds teaching music, history, art history, and English. He has been a STAR teacher award recipient and teacher of the year semi-finalist for one of the largest school districts in the United States, where he has taught for the last fifteen years, and is also a reader and clinician in AP European History for the College Board. He holds a Master of Education and B.A. in History from the University of Georgia. Nelson loves to teach and learn across a diverse array of interests, and loves to share his passion and excitement with twice-exceptional and neurodivergent students. As an educator, he focuses on cultivating curiosity, and educating in a way that is both entertaining and connective to other learning and life experiences we have, believing that learning does us much more good when it is something that we can use and share with others! For that reason, Nelson believes in making learning a shared dialogue, where educators and learners bring unique perspectives and ideas to their learning environment. It is by harnessing those cooperatively that we all make the most of our education and association with other human beings. Nelson lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, who is an educator and novelist, and a menagerie of animals - currently three dogs, two cats, fourteen chickens, and their most recent addition - 10,000 honey bees!
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 military-history kid finally found a room full of people who get him. Nelson matches his enthusiasm beat for beat."
Gregor M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson turns tanks and aircraft into engineering puzzles. My son is learning physics and history without even realizing it."
Simone K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My military-history kid finally found a room full of people who get him. Nelson matches his enthusiasm beat for beat."
Gregor M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson turns tanks and aircraft into engineering puzzles. My son is learning physics and history without even realizing it."
Simone K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The Fools of War sessions had my daughter laughing and thinking at once. Nelson makes the odd, failed inventions unforgettable."
Auden P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson handles difficult wartime history with real maturity and care. My son learned to think critically, never to glorify."
Harlan B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The Fools of War sessions had my daughter laughing and thinking at once. Nelson makes the odd, failed inventions unforgettable."
Auden P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson handles difficult wartime history with real maturity and care. My son learned to think critically, never to glorify."
Harlan B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son reverse-engineered a WWII fighter plane with Nelson and came away understanding the choices behind it. Remarkable teaching."
Odette F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson connects engineering, history, and human decision-making so naturally. My daughter sees the whole world differently now."
Ronan D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son reverse-engineered a WWII fighter plane with Nelson and came away understanding the choices behind it. Remarkable teaching."
Odette F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson connects engineering, history, and human decision-making so naturally. My daughter sees the whole world differently now."
Ronan D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My military-history kid finally found a room full of people who get him. Nelson matches his enthusiasm beat for beat."
Gregor M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson turns tanks and aircraft into engineering puzzles. My son is learning physics and history without even realizing it."
Simone K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The Fools of War sessions had my daughter laughing and thinking at once. Nelson makes the odd, failed inventions unforgettable."
Auden P.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson handles difficult wartime history with real maturity and care. My son learned to think critically, never to glorify."
Harlan B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son reverse-engineered a WWII fighter plane with Nelson and came away understanding the choices behind it. Remarkable teaching."
Odette F.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Nelson connects engineering, history, and human decision-making so naturally. My daughter sees the whole world differently now."
Ronan D.
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.
No. Our history courses go deeper than textbook timelines. Students investigate primary sources, debate historical decisions, and connect past events to current issues. The small-group format turns history into a conversation, not a lecture. Gifted and 2e students thrive when they can question, analyze, and argue - and that is exactly what happens every session.
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.
Tools of War: Wild Weapons From The World Wars 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.
Internet connection and can-do-attitude!