The first of April is not for fools’ but for fun. People like to pull jokes and pranks on friends and family. Just watch how many tricks you pull, they may come back to haunt you.
Steps
1. Holiday.
April Fool’s Day is not a national holiday but is recognized and celebrated in a variety of countries. Jokes, hoaxes and pranks highlight the fun of this holiday. Find out more about how this holiday started.
2. Track fun.
Start your notebook, file folder, digital activity box or other way to track your ideas as you explore this holiday. You may want to pull one or two jokes yourself.
3. April fish.
In Italy, France and Belgium, paper fish are part of the holiday celebration. Learn about this tradition and make a paper fish so you can join in on the fun.
4. Countries.
Find out what happens in other countries as part of the jokingly-good fun. Which traditions and jokes can you recreate with family and friends? Be sure to check out “April Fools pranks” on YouTube for a plethora of ideas.
NOTE: Some countries celebrate prank days, but not on April 1st. Be sure to check out what they do as well.
5. Large tricks.
Learn about some of the large pranks pulled on the public. If you didn’t hear about Mishapocalypse from 2013 (Tumblr), check it out as an example. I must admit, I enjoyed it immensely. Check out some large-scale pranks.
6. Small tricks.
Check out pins on Pinterest to find out more about small pranks you can pull. From funny foods to over-the-top decorating ideas, you won’t run out of ideas here. You may want to start your own board to make sure you don’t forget those really good ideas.
7. Props.
Many pranks involve a prop (or more). Of course spiders, snakes and fake poop can bring a scream, but what else can you find?
8. Jokes.
Jokes are shared online as well as locally as people try to out joke each other. This includes fake sites, story hoaxes and more. Watch to see how organizations participate in this holiday, including Google.
9. Prank party.
Join friends and family in a fun time by having a prank party. Combine your ideas and create a party. Be sure to include your best jokers in your plans!
10. Save.
Save the fun of the holiday with puzzles, games and perhaps even write a blog post or article on the holiday. To start you off, you can find a word list and a couple of puzzles in the supplements of this badge program. Brainstorm other ways to save the fun beyond the holiday itself.
Supplements
SUPP_AprilFools_2in_12up_larajla
- Avery 2” round label printable, 12 up
SUPP_ AprilFools_Checklist_larajla
- Badge checklist
SUPP_Printable_AprilFools_Word_larajla
- Word list for April Fool’s Day
SUPP_Puzzle Fun_SC_AprilFools_larajla
- Puzzle Fun: April Fool’s Day Scramble
SUPP_Puzzle Fun_WF_AprilFools_larajla
- Puzzle Fun: April Fool’s Day Word Find
Sites to Explore
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools’_Day
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_April_Fool%27s_Day_jokes
- youtube.com
- tumblr.com
- knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/mishapocalypse
- www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=april%20fool%27s%20ideas
- www.boredpanda.com/funny-april-fools-pranks
- mashable.com/2015/03/30/morning-pranks-april-fools-day-ideas/#EP5hlPLg8Oqm
- time.com/4720892/april-fools-day-pranks-jokes-2017
- www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/25/easy-april-fools-day-pranks_n_5050826.html
Get the infographic here > larajla blog post
Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs