Turning to Worms to Learn About Life Cycle

Every year, for longer than most can remember, the Savanna School District has celebrated the start of spring with the birth of silkworms.

When buds begin to appear on the local mulberry trees, district secretary Nora McKie takes the container filled with silkworm eggs out of her refrigerator and hands out the poppy seed-sized eggs to teachers.

The thousands of eggs, which are gathered the previous year, are kept refrigerated so they won’t hatch too soon.

“We have to wait for the leaves, because that’s what they eat,” McKie said. “And they eat all of the time.”

The crunching of hungry silkworms preparing to spin their silk cocoons can be heard this month in nearly all the district’s kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms.

Just a few weeks after the eggs were awakened from their hibernation, the worms have grown to nearly 2 inches in length. Soon they will spin cocoons and emerge about a month later as moths. The moths then will lay eggs and die a few days later. Those eggs are kept in the refrigerator for next year’s project.

“It’s a great way for the kids to see the life cycle, from egg to egg,” first-grade teacher Beverly Lucas said.

Many people have a hand in the annual silkworm project. The district passes out the eggs along with ideas for science experiments, and gardeners fill buckets with freshly cut mulberry leaves every morning for the worms to eat. Supt. Thomas C. Halvorsen even arranged a cross-fertilization of the eggs a few years ago to guard against genetic defects from years of in-breeding.

Students learn about the life cycle, food chains, and the responsibility of caring for a living creature during the worms’ two-month lifespans, said Jean Ann Miles, a first-grade teacher.

“The children are always fascinated by what they see,” Miles said. “They learn a lot as far as compassion and respect for nature.”

In the higher grades, teachers use the worms to talk about silk trade routes and the scientific process.

But the white worms alone are enough to capture students’ attention, year after year.

“I look forward to it,” said Melissa Bejar, 10. “It’s cool.”

Some students get so excited, they bring worms home.

“I brought them from school because they’re cute,” said James Mendoza, 6, of Stanton. And what do they do? “Eat,” he said.

After countless springs of raising the insects, Miles said, silkworm season is still a highlight.

“I’m still fascinated, because it’s still a miracle every time,” she said.