April Fool's Day Pranks and Activities for Kids

While the exact origins of April Fool's Day are not known, we know for sure that it has been celebrated in France since around 1582. The Gregorian calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was officially moved from April 1 to January 1. Whether some people didn't know about this change or they just didn't care, they continued celebrating the New Year on April 1, thus being labeled as "fools". Although it is not an official holiday, April Fool's Day is a tradition in many countries. Besides, who doesn't like taking advantage of their friends' "foolishness"? Here are a few tricks for your kids to play this year. Or, if you feel like a good laugh yourself, go ahead and try a couple of these out on your kids.

Where's the Alarm Clock?: Set every alarm clock you can find to an early hour of the morning. Watch the rest of your family scrambling around the house in the dark trying to find them all.

Sugar/Salt Switch: An oldie but a goodie. Wake up a few minutes before everyone else and empty the salt shaker, replacing it with sugar.

Spray Down: Take a rubber band and place it around the sprayer on your kitchen sink so that the trigger is stuck in. Angle the sprayer so the first person to turn on the sink gets a faceful of water.

Mutated Banana: Take a toothpick and stick it through one of the seams of a banana peel. Rotate it side to side so that it slices the banana, being careful not to cut through the peel. Do this in four or five spots in the banana. Try to keep the toothpick holes small. Give it to an unsuspecting friend, telling them a story about the new, genetically enhanced bananas from Ecquador.

Sources:
http://kids-holiday-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_of_april_fools_day
http://purpletrail.com/partytrail/holiday_parties/april_fools/april-fools-10-great-pranks-for-parents-to-play-on-their-kids/
http://www.zoomschool.com/themes/aprilfool.shtml