If you are doing a China study, the silkworm is the logical choice for some lifecycle science. Silkworm eggs can be obtained from a number of sources online.
You may want to consider how you approach the silk gathering with some of your more sensitive children - before they realize that the moths are killed to get the silk of their cocoon.
I know at least one set of teachers that wished they had not kept the cycle going as long as they did. They did not think about covering the 'experiment' and were not quite ready for the moths to fly about their room - or the second set of eggs.
There are a number of websites and videos online with information on the lifecycle of silkworms. In 2025, they included
You may want to consider how you approach the silk gathering with some of your more sensitive children - before they realize that the moths are killed to get the silk of their cocoon.
I know at least one set of teachers that wished they had not kept the cycle going as long as they did. They did not think about covering the 'experiment' and were not quite ready for the moths to fly about their room - or the second set of eggs.
There are a number of websites and videos online with information on the lifecycle of silkworms. In 2025, they included
- https://unacademy.com/content/neet-ug/study-material/biology/silkworm/
- shirleys-preschool-activities printable Silkworm notebooking page
- The British Museum's video "Smuggling Domesticated Silkworms along the Silk Roads | Curator's Corner S9 Ep8 | The Silk Princess" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7d8MzMkQW4 ) online.
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