Introductory Note: I purchased these on my own. I did not receive a free copy to review. Hence, these are my honest opinions and assessments on the curriculum.
Choosing Math this year was a tough call.
My old charter school used Singapore Math so I decided to look into it. It was between this and Saxon. Basically, it came down to my own experience.
I had grown up with Saxon Math all throughout school and when I thought back to my experience it wasn’t good. I didn’t remember much and didn’t really like the books all that much. This is what tipped the scales for me.
Singapore Math uses a Textbook and a Workbook. The textbook teaches and then the kids apply this knowledge in the workbook. Singapore Math offers Extra Practice Books as well as Test Books. I bought the Test Books and use them as Extra Practice essentially.
Each Level comes with a Home Instructor’s Guide which is essential to the curriculum. The parent/teacher reads the guide and then teaches the student.
There are two editions: Standard and US Edition. Both are very similar and according to Singapore Math’s Website, Standard has a bit more extras thrown in so I chose this one.
The Textbook is full of bright pictures for the kids and the workbook uses a lot of illustrations as well.
Conclusions: I bought Level 1 and 2 (first and second grade respectively) and have been pleased with both. My girls are learning and not dreading math (except my second-grader who hates math facts). I see us continuing with this program throughout the years as long as progress is being made.
You purchase everything individually (the workbook, textbook, text book, and home instructor’s guide). So it gets pricey but its comparable to other math programs. I like this because I can pick and choose what I want to use and tailor it to my needs.