A great fit if they…
love trains, planes and cities and want to know how they all fit together.
Society, Culture & Identity · Cities & Transportation
Trains, Planes & Cities
for Ages 9 to 18
For kids who love trains, planes and cities. Students learn why some streets, transit lines and neighborhoods work better than others, starting with a road near home.
- Ages
- 9 to 18
- Class size
- 6–8 max
- Format
- Live online · 21 weeks
- Mentor
- Mr. Sean
Show me available times
From $39.71 /week
Course details
Course Overview
Young Scholars Academy's Trains, Planes & Cities is a live, small-group class for kids and teens ages 9 to 18 who love trains, planes and cities and want to know how getting around shapes the places we live. Students compare real cities around the world, map transit networks, study streets and zoning, and recreate a real road near home with online city-building tools. Mr. Sean teaches it.
A different focus every class
One week is transit. Another is walkable streets, parks and public spaces, third places or missing middle housing. A student who loves parks gets their week, and so does the student who loves rail. The question running through it all is how the way we get around shapes the places we live.
How Mr. Sean runs it
Mr. Sean takes on the big questions of how cities work in the modern world. Students look at historic cities and compare them to their modern forms, then compare cities around the world to find each system's strengths and weaknesses. They also look at how housing, zoning and parking rules shape a city and its environment.
A real road near home
Each student picks a real road near home and studies it on Google Maps. They recreate it with online city-building tools, then work out what it does to the city around it. Real cities and real roads keep the ideas concrete.
Bigger than big, fast trains
A student who loves trains because they're big and fast finishes seeing them as a key part of how a city moves. They learn that trains give people who can't drive, or don't want to, a safe way around, and why getting rail right is hard for governments. A notebook gives visual thinkers a place to sketch maps and designs.
Ages 9 to 18 · Prerequisites · Who it's for
Is this the right class for my kid?
They should already be able to…
bring a basic sense of how transportation networks and cities work.
Start here, or take something first?
Start here. No YSA class needed first, and there's no placement test.
Can they keep taking it?
Yes. Mr. Sean has planned three to four semesters, about two years, before the course repeats.
New students
The course is brand new, so everyone starts together with Unit 1: Why Cities?
Returning students
Next term, students take what they've learned home, spot trends in their own neighborhood and city and learn to speak up for improvements.
Learning outcomes
What will my kid learn this semester?
Mapping transit
Map transit networks and judge how well they work.
Street analysis
Analyze local streets for speed, throughput and safety.
Reading zoning
Find areas zoned R1, mixed-use or central business district on a city map.
Modeling grids
Model how a street grid changes the way people connect.
What's covered
Unit 1
Why Cities?
Why we have cities in the first place, and their advantages and disadvantages.
Unit 2
Transportation Networks
How we get from place to place, and why the method matters.
Unit 3
Housing, Density, and Urban Fabric
How zoning laws, the street grid and parking mandates shape our cities.
Unit 4
Not Just Bikes
The politics around cities and their impact on the environment.
Growth · Progress reports
You'll see the growth every week
What you'll notice at home
On the drive into town, they point out a diverging diamond interchange and tell you your street needs traffic calming.
What changes on the inside
The trains they loved for being big and fast become part of a bigger picture: how a whole city moves and who it serves.
A write-up every week
A short report from Mr. Sean about your child's actual work: what they made, where they shined, what's next.
Materials Needed
- A notebook for sketching simple maps and designs (helpful, not required).
- Two online city-building tools:
- Streetmix: https://streetmix.net - Buildcity: http://buildcity.io You'll get this list by email when you enroll, then 1 week, 3 days and 1 day before class starts.
Getting started
What happens after you enroll
1. Your welcome email
Zoom link, Google Classroom link and an add-to-calendar button in one place. Forward it to your child: Young Scholars Academy can't email students directly.
2. Google Classroom
Syllabus, the weekly Zoom link and a way to message Mr. Sean.
3. Every week
A short progress report from Mr. Sean about your child's actual work.
Credit · Transcript · Enrichment
For Credit Option
Young Scholars Academy is a WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center and a UC-registered online publisher, so this course can count toward official credit. Same course, same mentor, same experience in class.
For Enrichment
$39.71 /week up front
Students map, analyze and model real cities and streets, with a weekly write-up from Mr. Sean.
For Credit
$41.80 /week up front
Students do the same work, graded, and earn credit on a Young Scholars Academy transcript.
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.
Spring 2027 · Schedule · Tuition
At a glance
Key facts
- Provider
- Young Scholars Academy (WASC-accredited virtual school for gifted or 2e students, ages 5-18)
- Course
- Trains, Planes & Cities
- Mentor
- Mr. Sean
- Ages
- 9-18
- Format
- Live online small-group class on Zoom, 6 to 8 students max per class (average class: 5 students)
- Class length
- 50 minutes, once a week
- Term
- Spring 2027, January 4 to May 28, 2027 (21 weeks)
- Category
- Society, Culture & Identity
- Credit option
- Yes: Enrichment or Credit with Transcript
Spring 2027 sections
| Section | Ages | Day | Time (PT / ET) | Weeks | First class | Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trains, Planes & Cities, Ages 9-13 | 9-13 | Wednesday | 2:00-2:50 PM PT / 5:00-5:50 PM ET | 21 | January 6, 2027 | Mr. Sean |
| Trains, Planes & Cities, Ages 13-18 | 13-18 | Friday | 1:00-1:50 PM PT / 4:00-4:50 PM ET | 21 | January 8, 2027 | Mr. Sean |
All times Pacific, with Eastern alongside.
Tuition (Spring 2027)
- Both sections (21 classes): Enrichment Flex Payment Plan $41.80/week ($877.80 total); Enrichment Pay Up Front (save 5%) $39.71/week ($833.91 total); Credit with Transcript Flex Payment Plan $44.00/week ($924.00 total); Credit with Transcript Pay Up Front (save 5%) $41.80/week ($877.80 total).
- New Year All-Access Pass (covers 21-week spring classes; pay in full): Bronze $2,797 (4 live courses + Friendship Social Club), Silver $3,597 (5 live courses + 1 free bonus course), Gold $5,797 (8 live courses + 2 free bonus courses). Class switches allowed during the first month (January 4 to February 3, 2027).
- Guarantee: Try It From The Inside. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Not in love? Switch courses (equal or lesser value) or take a credit. Payment plans can also stop future payments after 30 days. Attendance required.
How to enroll
- Course page and enrollment: https://youngscholarsacademy.org/courses/trains-planes-and-cities
- Free Spring Open House: November 11, 2026, 5 PM PT. RSVP: https://youngscholarsacademy.org/spring-open-house
- Questions: support@youngscholarsacademy.org
Meet Your Mentor
Mr. Sean
Mentor
Geography & Creative Writing Educator
- Global geography expert
- D&D adventure leader
- Geography
- Creative Writing
Trains, Planes & Cities FAQ
Questions parents ask about Trains, Planes & Cities
Is this class only about trains?
No. Trains are part of it, along with planes, roads, walkable streets, parks, housing and zoning. The question running through all of it is how the way we get around shapes the places we live.
Does my kid need to know anything first?
A basic sense of transportation networks and cities is enough. Young Scholars Academy doesn't require another class first, and there's no placement test.
Will they study our own town?
Yes. Each student studies a real road near home on Google Maps and recreates it with the class's online city-building tools.
What tools will they use?
Two online city-building tools, Streetmix (https://streetmix.net) and Buildcity (http://buildcity.io), plus Google Maps. A notebook for sketching is helpful but not required.
Can my child keep taking it?
Yes. Mr. Sean has planned three to four semesters, about two years, before the course repeats.
Can my child earn high school credit?
Yes. Young Scholars Academy offers a Credit with Transcript option for this course.
Try It From The Inside Satisfaction Guarantee
The Young Scholars Academy Promise
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
Pay In Full Option
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.
Payment Plan Option
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.
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About Young Scholars Academy
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 YSATheir best year starts here.
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.
