It's Monday, Who Are You Fooling? 4/1/2013

Inspired by Teach Mentor Texts. Be sure to click the link and see all the great posts every Monday for "It's Monday, what are you reading?

It's April Fool's Day and what pranks are up your sleeves?

Don't have time to plan the perfect prank? You are in luck because today I am featuring a couple of terrific books to make your April Fools Day a hilarious success but I am also including a few good pranks for you to try out.

It's Your Lucky Day!

Take a few coins and superglue them to a high traffic sidewalk area but make sure it will not cause any hazards. Enjoy watching people struggling to pry the coins up off the sidewalk. 

Did you drop that dollar?

Take a dollar of print out an image of a dollar and attach it to a retractable cord activated by a button push. I have a couple of these I picked up at a technology conference to attach to my school ID lanyard. Reel out enough slack in the cord line that sets you a distance away from an unsuspecting friend and say "Hey, did you drop a dollar?" when they reach for it--ba-zing! You quickly reel the cord back in bringing the dollar right to you. Great for a laugh. 

Soaker!

If you have the type of sink that comes with a spray attachment, wrap a rubber band around the handle so that it will begin spraying once the tap has been turned on. The next person to turn on the tap will end up with a good soaking. 

Visit this April Fool's Day Pinterest Board for more pranks and jokes. Don't you just love how there is a Pinterest board for almost every topic?

THE BOOKS

The Kids' Guide to Pranks Tricks & Practical Jokes (Kids' Guides) You might expect to get a little backlash for having this one in your school library but Capstone Publishers are one step ahead. They have provided documentation showing how The Kids' Guide to Pranks, Tricks & Practical Jokes can align with Common Core State Standards. Now that's what I call proactive thinking! This clever book can entice even kids who claim they hate to read. They will soon be pouring over step by step instructions plotting perfect pranks to pull on their unsuspecting friends and families. It is a short 32 pages and schools can order a library bound versions using their Scholastic dollars. I would suggest ordering more than one copy and librarians should read it cover to cover so they will be prepared just in case scheming students decide to make them the object of a practical joke. Better yet-pull one on your students and then discuss the wiser decision to pull pranks away from the school setting. Interest level grades 3-9.

See how this book aligns with the Common Core State Standards

National Geographic Kids "Just Joking"

This is a hot book in my school library. Nat Geo's Just Joking is filled with 300 belly laughable jokes, silly riddles, and not so easy tongue twisters. Kids gather round and listen to each other read the jokes aloud and they roar with laughter. There is no shushing in my school library! Reading is a shared experience much of the time but we do value our quiet reading corners too. It is available in a paperback format and is best suited for grades 2nd-6th (and some grown-ups who still appreciate kid humor).

If you don't have it, get it!

April Fools Day in the Classroom

• Have students research the history of April Fool's Day. 
• Creative writing: Have students brainstorm the perfect April Fool's Day prank and then write about how they would pull off the prank and what consequences they might have to face. 

That's it! Short, but sweet. Now go pull a few pranks on your pals and have a terrific Monday!