This term for Science and Technology, Yr 4 has been learning about Mini Beasts. As part of our study, Mrs Kalkandis brought in some silkworms for us to keep in our classroom.
Did you know that silkworms are not worms at all but rather the larvae of a moth. The larvae produce silk to create their cocoons.
We were quite surprised one day to discover one of the cocoons was yellow. We thought there may have been something wrong but after doing some research, we found out that silkworms can produce yellow, pale green and white silk.
We also discovered, to our horror, that for silk to be commercially harvested, farmers throw the cocoons into boiling water which kills the silkworm. They then take the cocoon and unravel it to gather the silk.
In our classroom, we have quite a few silkworms, eight cocoons and two moths. It has been fun watching them change but it has also been a great responsibility. We have needed to make sure that the container they are kept in is cleaned everyday (they poo a lot!!) and that they are given plenty of mulberry leaves to eat.
Did you know that silkworms are not worms at all but rather the larvae of a moth. The larvae produce silk to create their cocoons.
We were quite surprised one day to discover one of the cocoons was yellow. We thought there may have been something wrong but after doing some research, we found out that silkworms can produce yellow, pale green and white silk.
We also discovered, to our horror, that for silk to be commercially harvested, farmers throw the cocoons into boiling water which kills the silkworm. They then take the cocoon and unravel it to gather the silk.
In our classroom, we have quite a few silkworms, eight cocoons and two moths. It has been fun watching them change but it has also been a great responsibility. We have needed to make sure that the container they are kept in is cleaned everyday (they poo a lot!!) and that they are given plenty of mulberry leaves to eat.