April Fools’ Day, or All Fools’ Day, is celebrated this year on Thursday, April 1, 2021. The idea of April Fools' is that you play a harmless prank on someone you are friends with or who is a family member and then shout out “April Fools’!” Then everyone laughs and says, "Good One."
THE HISTORY BEHIND APRIL FOOLS' DAY
There are many different theories on the origin of April Fools' Day, but one of the most popular involves the calendar. The year was 1582, the same year that France began using the Gregorian Calendar. The change in calendar shifted the observance of New Year's Day from the end of March (around the time when Spring begins) to the first of January.
The story is that there were many people who either didn't know about the change - or perhaps didn't care - and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st. Those who knew of the calendar changes began to tease and trick those who celebrated, calling them "April Fools'." This practice of pranks continued year after year and eventually spread throughout Europe. Whether this story is completely true or not is still up for discussion. What we DO know, though, is that April 1st is a great time to inject a little fun!
Learn more about the history and how the day started at https://www.history.com/ and https://www.infoplease.com/
EASY TRICKS TO PLAY ON THE KIDS FOR APRIL FOOLS' DAY
- Colored milk! Add a few drops of food coloring to a glass (or the whole gallon!) of milk. Imagine your child's surprise when you tell him/her about the blue or green cow that produced this drink!
- Gummy worms and fish! What could be sillier than finding a "worm" in your apple or sandwich? Maybe some fish floating in your glass of juice (aka jello)?
- Funny faces! After your kids go to sleep, attach paper eyes and other facial features to the household appliances. In the morning, the toaster, refrigerator and television will be smiling back at them!
- Clothes that don't fit! Pull that box of 'too small' clothes out of the closet or donation pile and place them in your child's drawer. When they get dressed in the morning, they'll be amazed at how much they have grown overnight!
APRIL FOOLS' DAY FUN ON YOUTUBE:
Here are some fun videos for April Fools' Day your kids will love that I found on YouTube:
OTHER WEBSITES TO MAKE YOUR APRIL FOOLS' FUN
- HOAXES: See the Top 100 April Fools' Hoaxes ever at http://hoaxes.org/aprilfool/
- GOOGLE GAGS: Every year does some great gags for April Fools' Day and here's a list of all the fun Google Gags of previous years. Google has said they will NOT be doing a gag this year. (SOURCE)
- JOKES: Looking for some jokes visit http://www.ahajokes.com/
- JOKES/PRANKS/TRICKS: Here is a list of jokes, franks and tricks for April Fools' Day http://www.tensionnot.com/
- POETRY: Here are some funny April Fools' poems to share with a friend who needs some laughter http://luntiks.com/
- QUOTES: Here are some fun April Fools' Day quotes https://www.dgreetings.com/aprilfool/quotes.html
- RECIPES: Food is a great way to have some fun on April Fools', here are some of my favorite recipes https://www.food.com/ideas/april-fools-day-6200#c-15091
- BOOKS: Amazon has a great selection of books for kids in honor of April Fools' Day at https://www.amazon.com/
