Fast forward to my first year of teaching. April Fools' Day was the worst. I literally hated it. Hate. Ed. It. It was nothing but a day of conflict, hurt feelings, and sometimes even physical fights when tricks went too far.
As time went on, I began to warn my students several days in advance that I didn't allow tricks or pranks and there had better be none in my classroom! Of course, that didn't work well when other teachers in the school did allow them and I looked like the fun sponge.
I've begun looking for a kinder, gentler version of April Fools' Day. While I doubt I'll change the way we observe it on a national scale, I have gathered some ideas that might help if you're looking for more positive, more loving, but still fun ways to get through April 1st each year.
Be Upfront With Your Students
You gotta have buy-in. This will take some planning before the day. To avoid sounding like the kill-joy, talk to your students about your negative experiences with a day devoted to playing tricks on others. In your morning meetings or carpet times, build buy-in by helping them see that being kind is more rewarding than being mean or tricky. And, hey, wouldn't it be cool if we had a secret pact to do nice things instead of mean ones?Random Acts of Kindness
If April Fools Day revolves around playing tricks on others, think about reversing that to performing acts of kindness on people. Without turning the day into Valentine's Day 2.0 (although what's wrong with that?) challenge students to think of ways that they could simply be kind to people during the day, both in school or outside of school. It can be especially rewarding when acts of kindness are not planned and just "happen".It's been popular the last few years to make displays of random acts of kindness. I used a fellow TPTers heart design one year for Valentine's Day and had a beautiful hallway display. Each heart had one act of kindness written on it and the child's name. It offered lots of opportunities to share and encourage kindness.
If you're interested, download this Shamrock/Egg Freebie and make a display in preparation for April Fools Day. You could use the day either as a culmination of several weeks of kindness or use it as a kickoff day and conclude it at the end of the month.
April Foods Day
That's right. FOODS. I found this idea during a search. It was generated by a radio person named Wes, from Lubbock, Texas. That's all I know about him, but I can really get behind an entire day devoted to food. So how could this play out in the classroom?
Again, be really up front about why you're doing it - to refocus attention from tricks to treats. Then, gather all of the resources you have at your disposal - especially parents who cook - and try to have a special treat on the actual day or even several days leading up to the day.If your curriculum allows, try to tie in specific foods. Topics like gardening, life cycles, and ecosystems could help you lean towards fruits and vegetables. If you're studying dental health, bring in those cookies and cupcakes, then talk about the importance of brushing well.
Focused Bucket Filling
Filling someone's "bucket" is a popular activity that focuses on giving a specific compliment to a specific person. It's a way of showing appreciation, gratitude, and encouragement. It's a great companion to anti-bullying campaigns, keeping students thinking positively instead of negatively.Again, use the Shamrock/Egg Freebie here. Make shamrocks and eggs available to students who want to give a compliment to someone. The shamrock/egg can be delivered in person or anonymously to the recipient. It could also be delivered to a classroom cubbie or mailbox.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on these alternatives to April Fools Day. Do you do something similar in your classroom?
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