Over the past few weeks, the preschoolers at our Conder Early Childhood Service have displayed an increasing interest in the bugs and insects coming to the surface through the wet summer. Whenever they got the opportunity, the children enjoyed digging in the dirt of the yard, looking for all sorts of little critters.

At YWCA Canberra, we love seeing children display curiosity and enthusiasm, and harness it to include children’s interests within our curriculum and programming.

To extend the children’s emerging interest in small animals, the educators at Conder created a silkworm nursery in the Sky Room. Before bringing in the silkworms, the educators spoke to the children about how they would need resources to keep the animals alive. This prompted the children to investigate what silkworms eat, where they live, and how to care for them.

After gathering all the necessary resources, the educators moved the silkworms into their new home. The preschoolers are now taking turns caring for the silkworms, ensuring they have enough water and fresh leaves.

This process activated the children’s interest in learning, particularly in science, and is giving them opportunities to develop nurturing skills and learn how to interact with living creatures.

The Conder team is looking forward to seeing how much silk the caterpillars create before making their cocoons and turning into moths. They will continue to incorporate the silkworms into the children’s learning.