Silk has a storied history in China—and it all begins with the humble silkworm! With this activity, we’ll take a closer look at the life cycle of this fascinating insect. Start by watching this video for a review of the life stages, and then get ready to build our craft.
If you were with us last year and still have the Butterfly Life Cycle Craft, this can also be a great opportunity to compare and contrast butterflies and moths!
What you need:
- scrap piece of cardboard
- felt (white, green, and a contrasting piece for the background)
- yellow pipe cleaner
- 2 Q-tips
- thin black marker
- cotton ball
- yellow paint
- liquid glue
What to do:
Start by cutting a circle out of your scrap cardboard. Then, cut a piece of contrasting felt to cover it.
Using your marker, draw lines to designate the four quadrants of the circle.
Cut out a felt leaf and use one Q-tip to paint yellow “eggs” on it. Glue to the first quadrant.
Next, use the marker to turn your second Q-tip into a silkworm. (Your child may aso want to cut out more “mulberry” leaves for the silkworm.) Glue to the second quadrant.
Glue the cotton ball to the third quadrant for the cocoon. (You may also want to create a stick for it to hang from.)
Cut out an oval of white felt and use the pipe cleaner to form into the silk moth. Glue to the fourth quadrant.
(+) Optional upgrade: Cut out four small rectangles from white felt so your child can label each life stage. Glue these to the correct quadrants.
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