Welcome Old Schoolhouse Readers!

How Public Utilities Work
Complete Grades 5–12 STEM Curriculum

→ Request a Sample Week (free PDF)
→ Request a Bulk Quote
→ Buy Instructor Edition on Amazon (single copy)
→ Buy Student Edition on Amazon (single copy)
→Purchase an authorized bundle from TeachersPayTeachers.com
Bulk Orders available to order through IngramSpark (Instructor 979-8-9953675-3-6, Student 979-8-9953675-4-3)

★★★ Recognized by STEM.org as Best in STEM™ 2026–2027 | Top 5% ★★★

You found us through The Old Schoolhouse STEM Spotlight, so chances are you’re looking for engaging ways to bring STEM learning into your homeschool.

Here’s one you may not have considered:

Your neighborhood.

Every time your student flips on a light, charges a phone, turns on a faucet, adjusts the thermostat, or looks at the poles, wires and meters outside your home, they’re interacting with enormous systems built on science, technology, engineering and math.

How Public Utilities Work turns those everyday experiences into a complete 34-lesson STEM curriculum for grades 5–12.

STEM that starts at home

Rather than beginning with an abstract scientific concept, students begin with things they already know:

Where does our electricity come from? Why does our utility bill change? How does water reach the faucet? What happens when the power goes out? What does a meter measure? How do solar panels work? Who builds and maintains all of this?

From there, students explore electricity, natural gas and water; renewable and traditional energy resources; rates and utility bills; energy efficiency; infrastructure; safety; consumer rights; and the many careers behind the systems communities depend upon.

Built for real-world learning

The curriculum includes 34 lessons across five units, along with activities, assessments, career exploration, three sample utility bills, a glossary, and practical examples students can connect to their own homes and communities.

Use it as a complete course, incorporate individual lessons into your existing homeschool program, or use it to introduce a student to STEM and energy careers they may never have encountered before.

Recognized for excellence in STEM education

How Public Utilities Work has been recognized by STEM.org as Best in STEM™ 2026–2027 — a distinction representing the top 5% of STEM.org reviewed educational products.

It has also earned the STEM.org Reviewed™ Trustmark.