Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.From fantasy worlds to your own Dungeons and Dragons games, learn how to create vibrant maps using the free digital tool Inkarnate. Mentor Sean has personally made over 100 maps using this software to enhance his own games and presentations, and he will tell you the creative process is contagious. Students will not just be making maps. They will be discovering the secrets to their own stories as new adventures and character arcs emerge with every map they bring to life.
From fantasy worlds to your own Dungeons and Dragons games, learn how to create vibrant maps using the free digital tool Inkarnate.
Your mentor Sean has personally made over 100 maps using this software to enhance his own games and presentations, and he will tell you the creative process is contagious.
Students will not just be making maps, they will be discovering the secrets to their own stories. New adventures and character arcs emerge as they render their imagination into color and shape. Together we experiment with different styles of maps, from grand campaign-defining world maps to gritty battlemaps to cozy region maps that open up new possibilities for players, readers, and imaginations alike.
Students master the tools provided in Inkarnate to create professional-quality maps, experiment with multiple map styles and learn techniques to make their maps pop, and discover how visual worldbuilding unlocks deeper storytelling and character development. Along the way, they connect with fellow creators who share their love of fantasy worlds and adventure.
All your student really needs is their imagination, and if they already have a story or adventure in mind, that can be great source material to work from.
Map making is where geography, storytelling, and visual design meet. Your child learns to build coherent, detailed worlds that support their games, writing, and creative projects. Parents tell us their kids start applying these skills to school projects, personal RPG campaigns, and creative writing with a new level of detail.
Your child will master a professional-quality digital tool while creating something personally meaningful. Whether they use these skills for tabletop gaming, fiction writing, or design work later on, the combination of technical proficiency and creative vision they build here is genuinely useful.
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 opens up 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.
Create detailed digital maps using Inkarnate, from grand world maps to gritty battlemaps for their own games and stories 
Learn cartographic design principles and digital tools that bring imagined worlds to life with depth and detail 
Share and refine their maps with fellow world-builders who love fantasy, tabletop games, and creative storytelling 
Discover new stories and adventures emerging from the maps they create, building worlds they will want to keep expanding 
Hello there! I'm Teacher Sean and I've been working full time as a Digital Educator for over 4 years now! Yup, since the pandemic. I've can't believe how much fun I've had teaching thousands of kids from around the world about our beautiful planet and the amazing wonders that stretch to each and every corner of our world! I've also had the incredible opportunity to run Dungeons and Dragons adventures for my students for the last 2 years and many of them are still playing in my campaigns to this very day! While I don't have any kids of my own yet (my wife just graduated with her DMA in Cello Performance and got a job teaching and performing, we're working on it!) I've seen some truly incredible students over the past four years. Many of them have taught me just as much as I've helped instruct and guided them. I can't wait to meet your child and see what adventures we can go on as we explore our world and beyond together!
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 son builds entire fantasy worlds in his head, and Mr. Sean gave him the tools to finally put them on the map. He has made a dozen already."
Miriam L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean showed my daughter that a map is really a story waiting to happen. Her characters and adventures pour out of every world she draws."
Terrence B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son builds entire fantasy worlds in his head, and Mr. Sean gave him the tools to finally put them on the map. He has made a dozen already."
Miriam L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean showed my daughter that a map is really a story waiting to happen. Her characters and adventures pour out of every world she draws."
Terrence B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My 2e son can hyperfocus for hours on something he loves, and Mr. Sean channeled that into gorgeous, detailed maps. He is so proud of what he creates."
Farrah N.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean makes the creative process contagious, exactly like he promised. My daughter went from one map to designing a whole world for her D&D game."
Gavin R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My 2e son can hyperfocus for hours on something he loves, and Mr. Sean channeled that into gorgeous, detailed maps. He is so proud of what he creates."
Farrah N.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean makes the creative process contagious, exactly like he promised. My daughter went from one map to designing a whole world for her D&D game."
Gavin R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My quiet son found his voice through world-building. Mr. Sean asks about his maps like they matter, and now he narrates the lore behind each one."
Selena O.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean turned my daughter's love of fantasy into a real creative skill. She uses Inkarnate on her own now and cannot stop making new places."
Andre C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My quiet son found his voice through world-building. Mr. Sean asks about his maps like they matter, and now he narrates the lore behind each one."
Selena O.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean turned my daughter's love of fantasy into a real creative skill. She uses Inkarnate on her own now and cannot stop making new places."
Andre C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son builds entire fantasy worlds in his head, and Mr. Sean gave him the tools to finally put them on the map. He has made a dozen already."
Miriam L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean showed my daughter that a map is really a story waiting to happen. Her characters and adventures pour out of every world she draws."
Terrence B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My 2e son can hyperfocus for hours on something he loves, and Mr. Sean channeled that into gorgeous, detailed maps. He is so proud of what he creates."
Farrah N.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean makes the creative process contagious, exactly like he promised. My daughter went from one map to designing a whole world for her D&D game."
Gavin R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My quiet son found his voice through world-building. Mr. Sean asks about his maps like they matter, and now he narrates the lore behind each one."
Selena O.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Sean turned my daughter's love of fantasy into a real creative skill. She uses Inkarnate on her own now and cannot stop making new places."
Andre C.
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.
Map Making 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!