{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Words: Jade Slaughter | Illustrations: Rohanne Thomson","standfirst":"Whether it\u2019s for April Fools\u2019 Day or some unplanned fun, these harmless pranks should get your group giggling","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/4511/screen-shot-2019-11-01-at-153131.png","width":1488,"height":954,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMention April Fools\u2019 Day and you\u2019re likely to get mixed responses. Some people will groan, while others will grin. One person\u2019s \u2018hilarious\u2019 is another person\u2019s \u2018horrible\u2019 after all, and our experiences with practical jokes in the past can change how we feel about them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFor those who don\u2019t know, April Fools\u2019 Day falls on 1 April and is usually celebrated by playing practical jokes (also known as \u2018pranks\u2019) and hoaxes on friends, family and even colleagues.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENobody knows where it came from, but Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University, had one theory. He said that during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine, a group of court jesters and fools told Constantine that they could do a better job of running the empire. Amused, Constantine appointed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel called for the day to be celebrated with absurdity, and that became an annual event.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis explanation captured public attention in 1983 when it was quoted in an Associated Press (AP) article printed by many newspapers. Unfortunately, Boskin made the whole thing up \u2013 which makes it a pretty great April Fools\u2019 joke.\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn fact, April Fools\u2019 Day has been around in England for at least a couple of hundred years, with reports from France and Holland starting in the 1500s. In some areas of Europe, the day is known as \u2018April Fish Day\u2019; possibly because there are a lot of fish in the rivers around 1 April so they\u2019re easy to catch. People in these countries stick paper fish to each other\u2019s backs, and give gifts of chocolate fish.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWe want to follow in our European friends\u2019 footsteps by making April Fools\u2019 Day fun for everyone to celebrate. We\u2019ve come up with some pranks that shouldn\u2019t hurt or upset\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eanyone, because that doesn\u2019t sound fun at all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EObviously, you still need to make a judgement about who you play these on. If someone has a heart condition, for instance, you might want to rethink your plan. If you\u2019re a leader, you could play them on your group, or you could create them with your young people to play on friends and family afterwards \u2013 just be sure to discuss what makes a prank harmless and fun compared to what makes a prank upsetting as part of the activity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBut for now, let\u2019s get on with making some mischief.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/4510/screen-shot-2019-11-01-at-153124.png","width":1082,"height":928,"altText":"Gotcha! April Fools tricks","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGuess I\u2019ll go eat worms\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECrush up some Oreos, bourbons or other earth-coloured biscuits to make dirt, and then add some gummy worms for a yummy snack that you can gross people out with. These look really effective when packed in small Tupperware containers, and are easy to take along\u0026nbsp;for packed lunches or on camp. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn ouef-ful mix-up\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe perfect prank to do on camp. If your young people are responsible for cooking breakfast, wake up early and replace some of the fresh eggs with boiled ones. They\u2019ll get a surprise when they try to break them! Only do a few, otherwise you might not get breakfast, and be sure not to waste the boiled ones.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWibble, wobble, wibble, wobble, jelly in a cup\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMake lots of these and leave them out for a funny start to a Scouts meeting, or try it one-on-one \u2013 you could even offer a sip to a fellow volunteer. Make the jelly by following the instructions then pour into a clear glass with a straw in it. Leave to set in the fridge. Hold it steady when you offer it, so it doesn\u2019t wobble and give the game away.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGoogly eyes are watching\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIf you\u2019ve got a kitchen in your meeting place that young people are able to access, then this prank is perfect. All you have to do is stick pairs of googly eyes on everything that\u2019s kept in the fridge \u2013 they work particularly well stuck on smaller things that you have multiples of, like eggs. Get some refrigerated snacks or drinks for your group, and ask some of the young people to go and get them during the meeting. As soon as they open the fridge door, they\u2019ll get a big surprise!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGrow your own doughnuts\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBuy a pack of small brown envelopes and ask everyone to decorate them however they imagine doughnuts might grow: with doughnut flowers, a doughnut bush or a doughnut tree. Label them \u2018Doughnut seeds\u2019. Give everyone a small handful of Cheerios (or similar doughnut-shaped cereal), and see which of their friends and family members fall for the joke.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHidden monster\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMost young people are scared or curious about monsters, bugs and other creatures. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EYou can have fun with people from both camps with this super easy prank. Get a big cup (or better yet, a bucket) and put it upside down in the meeting space before your young people arrive. Stick a note on the cup (or bucket) \u2013 it should read something like: \u2018Don\u2019t take this off or it\u2019ll crawl away!\u2019 If anyone asks you about it, say it was already there when you arrived and that you\u2019re not sureit\u2019s a good idea to see what\u2019s underneath. As the inevitable crowd gathers to see what\u2019s underneath, see how long it takes before someone gives in to the temptation and gathers the courage to gingerly lift it up\u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA very sticky situation\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EReplace the liquid hand soap in your meeting place toilets with syrup that\u2019s the same colour, for a good sticky prank. The next time someone goes to wash their hands, they\u2019re in for a surprise! This joke will probably only work the first time someone tries to wash their hands, before the joke is revealed to the rest of the group, so you could suggest that everyone goes to wash their hands at the same time, perhaps after doing a messy craft activity (or before handing out the brown-Es, see below) to make sure as many people as possible can get in on the fun. Make sure you have normal soap on hand so they can wash the stickiness off afterwards! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFreshly baked brown Es\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhat\u2019s nicer than fresh brownies? Simply cut lots of the letter \u2018E\u2019 out of paper and colour them in brown with felt tips, coloured pencils or paint. (If you\u2019re short on time you could just use brown paper.) Bring these on a baking tray covered in foil, then uncover them to reveal the surprise. To avoid too much disappointment, you could provide some real brownies once everyone\u2019s enjoyed the prank.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThere\u2019s a fly in my soup!\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIf you\u2019re eating a meal while on camp, or having a packed lunch, put a raisin on top of your food or inside your sandwich. Pretend you\u2019ve just found it and cry out that there\u2019s a fly in your lunch. Then casually pick it off and eat it. If you\u2019re not together for a mealtime on April Fools\u2019 Day, put a raisin in a tissue instead, pretend to swat a fly, then pop it in your mouth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENo use crying over spilt coffee\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis one\u2019s particularly good if you know someone with a light-coloured sofa or carpet, or a gadget they hate being parted from. Create a cup of \u2018spilt coffee\u2019 that could be left on any surface (or near a valuable item) to give someone a scare. In a mug, mix PVA glue with a little brown food colouring until it\u2019s coffee-coloured. Set the mug on its side so it can cool into the desired \u2018spilt coffee\u2019 shape). You won\u2019t be able to use the mug again, but you can re-use this prank for years to come. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuggin\u2019\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAnother simple prank to do as a group and take home. Draw the outline of a large insect or spider on a piece of paper or card and cut it out. Once at home (or school/work), wait until daylight to attach it to the inside of a lampshade. When it gets dark and someone turns on the light, they\u2019ll see the bug silhouette. Wait for the scream! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChocolate surprise\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESeeing as April Fools\u2019 Day happens around the same time as Easter, there will be lots of chocolate eggs available to play this simple prank on your young people. Carefully unwrap some enticing, colourful foil-covered chocolate eggs. Replace the eggs with grapes and wrap\u0026nbsp;them back up in the foil, making it look as neat as possible so you don\u2019t give the game away. Offer everyone a chocolate egg and then wait for the response when they realise it\u2019s not the chocolatey treat they were expecting\u2026 Make sure you keep the real chocolate eggs to one side and bring them out to offer around after the joke, to avoid causing an outcry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"01 November 2019","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48472,"nodeName":"Gotcha!","title":"Gotcha! ","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/4510/screen-shot-2019-11-01-at-153124.png?cc=0,0.34415409482758619,0,0\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd2eb1fd10","caption":"Gotcha! April Fools tricks","type":"png","size":163516,"width":1082,"height":928,"altText":"Gotcha! 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