filed under: Family Life, Seasonal Outdoor Learning

Planting Garden Pranks in the Classroom on April Fool’s Day

April first is known as April Fools Day where we live. Generally speaking, harmless pranks and hoaxes are perpetrated and the cleverer the hoax, the better the children laugh at the end. Use caution though, some children and adults are more sensitive than others and some pranks and hoaxes can be downright cruel or insensitive, so be sure to know your audience before trying any of these fun ideas!

A Great Hoax

A few years back I orchestrated a great hoax for my class for April Fools Day. We were heavily into a Science study of plants, and gardening was a big part of our every day learning. All month we had been planting seeds into paper pots to transplant later, so this prank was an easy and not at all suspicious task. I started the day by reading The Money Tree by Sarah Stewart.

We had a wonderful discussion about the book and wondered aloud if money could really grow on trees. What would be the consequences if it did? After a fair amount of conversation I whispered to the children that I had a very special seed for us to plant today, that it had to be planted before noon and that, if we were very careful with it, might grow into something special.

I had some red kidney beans in a silk pouch that I quietly announced were the seeds to a money tree! Lots of clapping and cheering ensued but was quickly replaced by the thousand questions they had. Where did I get the beans?

How did I know they would grow money? Would the leaves be the paper money and the roots coins, like potatoes? And why did they have to be planted before noon? It didn’t take long for my hoax to be recognized, and we did go ahead and plant the beans.

The kids were great sports about this year’s April Fools Day hoax, so now I have to find a new one for this year!

Any good ideas you want to share?