Each year, the YCIS students at the Regency Park and Century Park campuses look after silkworms as part of the Primary curriculum. The silkworm project is a unique experience at YCIS, where children learn about caring for the small animals by providing food and keeping them clean, and are able to observe, first-hand, an animal’s lifecycle.

Students were abuzz with excitement as they watched the small creatures come to life right before their eyes! John, a Year 2 student at the Regency Park Campus remarked, “Wow, it was so cool! The silkworm suddenly stopped eating and began spinning a cocoon, just like that!” Amber, a Year 3 student added, “The silkworms are really cute but I know they need us to watch out for them – they are not playthings.”

Silkworms are not really “worms”, but are the larva or caterpillar stage of the domesticated silkmoth bombyx mori. It is an economically important insect, especially in China, as a primary producer of silk.

The classrooms and some individual students, who “adopted” the silkworms, received a kit which included a number of young silkworms, some un-hatched silkworms, and a variety of food that was made from mulberry leaves. The children were able to help determine the colour of their silkworms by feeding them different food, resulting in both purple and others were white silkworms.

The children were also taught how to care for these animals from fellow classmates who took care of the silkworms in previous years, and with detailed instructions from their teachers. Mr Henricus Peters, a YCIS teacher who helps to lead the yearly silkworm project, explained “This project is a great way for children, who might otherwise have limited experience with natural life cycles, to observe a full, but shorted process from egg to animal. They also learn about caring for the silkworms, and it’s wonderful to watch them happily doing so!”

At YCIS, students learn about the importance of preserving and protecting our natural world and all living things. The silkworm project is a small part of the work the Ecology Action Team, a group of environmentalists from Years 2 through 13 who serve as beacons of environmental stewardship, educating themselves and their peers about how they can make a difference in today’s environment. Through whole campus projects like the silkworm project and the annual YCIS environment week, the team is inspiring the whole campus to care for the environment and all living things, and to GO GREEN!