Review of Stinky Kid Math

Sometimes you hear about a product and you just have to hear more based on the name alone. I give you...Stinky Kid Math! For the past month or so, Nicky has been doing Geometry with a six-month subscription to Stinky Kid Math (yep, it's still fun to write, no matter how many times you do it!). He finished Algebra in May, and I have been debating about whether to start in him in Geometry or Algebra II. For the first part of the summer, I had him doing various Algebra reviews, but when the opportunity to check out Stinky Kid Math came along, I couldn't resist. 
Stinky Kid Math offers video lessons and worksheets in Foundational Algebra (Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1), Complex Algebra (Algebra 1 and 2), and Geometry. It is not intended as a full curriculum, but it can be used as one. For the time that Nicky (12) has been using it, he has not been using another curriculum, and I am comfortable with that decision. The Geometry has been challenging, but not overwhelming. Because we have not done all of Geometry, though, I don't know if I can say that I would consider it a full curriculum. There is also a section of the website that has five math games.
For Stinky Kid Geometry, you can either work on 3-D:

or 2-D:

When you select a set of videos (so, if you start with lines), you get a menu like this:

The length of each video varies considerably, but most are under 15 minutes. Definitional videos are between 2-4 minutes long, while others that illustrate real world problems can be on the longer side. Most videos are definitely on the shorter side, though.

The style of the videos is very much that of of a teacher teaching a class (I know - revolutionary!). By that I mean that it has a very "standard math class" feel. I like that in a math class. I think that there are some things that you shouldn't get too creative with, and teaching math is one of them.

Sometimes you just need a teacher to show you what to do!

Nicky and Stinky Kid Math

At first, Nicky strongly resisted Stinky Kid Math, but Nicky often resists new things at first. Now, I'm happy to say, he doesn't even ask to do it. He just does it. He very much appreciates a program that gets in, teaches, and gets out, and that's just what this program does. There are no frills, no system of rewards for a job well done (something that has frustrated him in the past with other programs - the need to prove yourself to a certain point to get to a reward; he just wants to learn the concept, do the problems, and move on), and no fuss. He just learns what he has to learn from a math teacher who teaches him the subject. Like I said, it's basic, but it gets the job done. 

For my benefit, Stinky Kid Math provides an Activity Log telling me exactly what was done on the site, and when. 

Stinky Kid Math is available for only $9.99/month for unlimited access, and you can try it for a whole month free. To see how other Crew families have been using this wonderfully named program, be sure to click the banner below (and take a moment to appreciate how beautifully it matches this program's color scheme!).