The Last Laugh - Parental Pranks for April 1

By Rob Stringer

The exact origin of April Fool's Day is uncertain, but popular belief is that it began in France with the adoption of a new calendar. In 1582, the Gregorian calendar (still in use today) replaced the long-standing Julian calendar and New Year's celebrations were moved from April 1 to January 1.

People who continued to celebrate the new year on April 1 were labeled "fools" and often ridiculed. This harassment evolved over time, and now "All Fool's Day" is practised in many parts of the world with each country celebrating it in their own special way.

In Scotland, "Taily Day" lasts 48 hours and is devoted to pranks involving the buttocks. The Scots are rumoured to have invented the "Kick Me" sign.

In France, children exclaim "Poisson d'Avril" (April fish) when playing a prank, referring to a young fish which is easily caught.

In Rome, the "Festival of Hilaria" is on March 25 and is also referred to as "Roman Laughing Day".

While children relish tricking us on this special day, why let them have all the fun. Here are some ways for you to trick them:

Replace the cream filling out of Oreo-type cookies and fill with mint toothpaste. Put in lunches or on a plate and watch their faces.

Send a cheese sandwich for lunch, but "forget" to remove the plastic wrapper off the slice. Consider even placing a note inside stating, "Got 'cha!" or "April Fool".

Put some water in a cereal bowl, and place it in the freezer the night before. Offer to get your family cereal in the morning. Put a thin layer of their favourite cereals on top of the ice, and serve.

Or, just before your kids come down to eat breakfast, put some food colouring in the milk. Blue, green, or yellow (it looks like soured milk) - any color will do. Watch them go into total shock when they pour the milk into their cereal or glasses.

Or consider preparing a special April Fool's Day Dinner, where nothing is quite what it appears:

Make your favourite meatloaf recipe and bake in 2 round cake pans. Frost with mashed potatoes that are the consistency of frosting. You could write "Happy April Fool's Day" on the cake with ketchup.

Prepare lemon Jell-O and pour into glasses, insert a straw and let it set up. The Jell-O is the drink and looks like lemonade (watch your kids try to suck it up a straw).

Make "fish sticks" or "French fries" from pound cake. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until crisp and golden on the edges. Raspberry or chocolate sauce can be served in opaque red plastic "ketchup bottles".

Everybody loves a well-played joke and the infectious squeals of children's laughter. So this April 1, why not try to catch your own "young fish" in a harmless prank and make it a day of family fun. Just remember... don't leave this article on the coffee table. You wouldn't want to give your kids any good ideas.

Rob Stringer, BA, BEd, CPC is an award-winning Educator and Parenting & Personal Success Coach who is passionate about helping people live lives they LOVE! In addition to coaching kids, young adults, parents & families, Rob also appears regularly in magazines across North America, offers workshops & keynotes, and is the host of The Parenting with Intention Radio Hour. To find out more and subscribe to his free monthly newsletter, visit http://www.parentingwithintention.ca/

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It's April - No Fooling!

By Lisa J Smith

On April 1st, how many of us have listened to stories, read an article in the paper or received an email from friends, family or co-workers that was immediately followed by the loud yell of "April Fools!"?

April 1st is the US National holiday for tricks, pranks and other practical jokes. The commonly accepted origin of April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, involves changes in the calendar. At one time, the New Year celebration began on March 25 and ended on April 1. However, in 1582, King Charles IX accepted the beginning of the New Year as January 1. Those who refused to acknowledge the new date or simply forgot, received foolish gifts and invitations to nonexistent parties. It has evolved into a day of light-hearted trickery and has produced some elaborate and well-known hoaxes.

The United State is not the only country to participate in a national prank day. Several others around the world also play host to a day similar to ours.

• In Iran, people play jokes on each other on April 3, the 13th day of the Persian calendar. It is believed that people should go out on this date in order to escape the bad luck of number 13.

• On April 1st, the French play a game called "April's Fish" and attempt to attach a paper fish to the victims' back's without being noticed. This is also widespread in other nations, such as Italy where "April's Fish" is also used to refer to any other jokes done during the day

• In Belgium, the tradition is for children to lock their parents or teachers out of the house or school, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.

• In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, on April 1st, if somebody pulls an April Fools' Trick after midday, then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool.

So, this year, if you can't quite create a believable hoax, prank or joke yourself, you can try taking an idea from some of the countries above. You'll not only getting the benefit of yelling "April Fool's!" to your unsuspecting victim, but you'll also be teaching a little about some different customs as well; and that's no joke!

Lisa Smith has a BA in psychology, & is the Owner of Regionz Kidz http://www.regionzkidz.com/ a multi-cultural infant and toddler clothing line with ethnically diverse characters and designs. She publishes a blog on the Regionz Kidz website that features articles about cultural diversity and children & she is a guest blogger on several other websites and blogs relating to parenting and children's issues. She is also a monthly contributor to Educated Mommy Magazine. You can contact Lisa directly at: lisa@regionzkidz.com

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