This beautifully crafted resin life cycle of a silk worm is perfect to complement any science program when teaching children about the natural world. It contains 13 steps in the lifecycle to ensure an intricate study of each stage. It allows children to get up close, see real-life examples and examine them in detail.
It is also an excellent resource to promote scientific inquiry and investigation. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is the primary producer of silk and can no longer be found in the wild, another reason why this resin lifecycle is an important resource to allow children to explore.
Our products are encased in a high quality resin making them nearly indestructible and suitable for children of all ages. They are perfect for use on a light table to highlight features or used with a magnifying class to allow children to explore finer details.
Interesting Facts: Silkworms start as eggs and the worms grow to about 70 times their original size and shed their skin four times. When the silkworm matures it spins a fat, soft, white cocoon around itself in figure eight loops for protection during the sleeping stage. The cocoon is made from one continuous thread of fluid silk. During the next two to three weeks the pupa develops and emerges from the cocoon as a wet, scruffy moth with six jointed legs, two pairs of wings and two feathery feelers. Once its crumpled wings have expanded and dried, the moth is a beautiful pearly white colour. Silkmoths cannot fly because their bodies are too heavy in relation to their wings. They flutter about until they find a mate and only live long enough to produce another generation. Males die soon after mating while the female dies once she has laid sticky, pale yellow eggs. The complete cycle takes two months.