Book excerpt: An all-inclusive guide for the parents of the 1.5 million homeschooled children Homeschooling, once an alternative to conventional education, is experiencing a boom all across America and has become a highly valued option for more and more mainstream parents. The McGraw-Hill Homeschooling Companion provides parents with a complete, authoritative, truly balanced guide to every aspect of homeschooling, from the primary years through high school. This all-in-one manual covers the different approaches to homeschooling as well as the specific methods for setting up the home learning environment, including legal requirements, supplies, and lesson plans. Individual chapters examine the stages of homeschooling: what curriculum planning involves, the indispensable tools for the home classroom, computer use, and tips and techniques on teaching all the core curriculum requirements. Special features include comprehensive treatment of standardized testing, state by state; practical counsel on integrating homeschooling and living in the outside world; 10 favorite homeschool suppliers; websites; and homeschooling laws for all 50 states.