I played an awesome trick on April Fools Day.
Last week I was camp director for our theatre school's spring break camp. Which meant I was responsible for the well being of 71 children, 5 teaching assistants and 5 staffers.
Monday was an okay day. I made clear to all the staff to be very careful to avoid mention of Tuesday being April Fool's Day. They tried their best, but one of the instructors accidentally let it slip, and the kids instantly started planning. So I went home to make my own plan of defensive action.
The next morning, I donned an odd mask and some padding and waddled into the theatre carrying a canvas sack. The children all grow silent. Who is this strange person?
"Hi there! Does anyone know what day it is?"
"It's Tuesday!" "It's April Fools day!"
"That's right. It's April Fools day! April Fool's Day began because today used to be the first day of the new year, but then some people decided to change it to January 1st. But other people wanted to keep today as the first day of the year, and people made fun of them just because they're different. They called them fools or April Fools, and sometimes they even did mean things to these people. But I don't think that's right! Because I'm a fool, and I think everybody's a fool sometimes. But that doesn't mean we don't deserve kindness, because we're all good people!" (instructor shouts out "we're all good people!") So today's a crazy day already, things are silly, and things get turned on their heads! So today, instead of finding a student and declaring them our April Fool, we're going to declare a reverse-April-Fool! A best camp citizen! And they will get (pulls out large bright yellow box covered in question marks) the prize that is in this box. (students: "it's a trick!" "there's nothing in it!" "what's inside?!") So today, instead of getting caught doing something bad, I want all of you to get caught doing something nice! You're teachers are going to be looking to catch you doing something nice, and their going to nominate a student for the "Poisson d'Avril!" and that student will win what's in this box!
At that point I passed it around, inviting students to shake it, feel it, smell it. I spent the whole morning strolling around carrying it, making sure everyone got to touch it Lots of them had guesses: "It's empty" "It's full of giraffe" "It smells like old pizza!" "It's too heavy to be empty!" Every student in the school has a chance to eye it up, touch it. Every student is imagining what it could be.
After lunch the students see a performance of an intricate marionette play, and following that I manage to talk the artists into coming to see the students and show them the puppets. They all love it. After the artists leave, I pull out the box, and declare that it's time to announce the winner. I read off the descriptions of the good acts one by one without identifying students. One student got more than one nomination. I read out why he's been nominated and announce his name and that he's the winner. He is so shocked and stunned that he doesn't believe that he's won until his teacher tells him a couple more times. He walks to the center of the stage. I hand him the box. ("It's a trick!" someone yells). He opens the box, and inside is another box wrapped in news paper. And inside that box is a large gift bag. and inside that bag is a box wrapped in more paper. Inside that box is a box wrapped in more paper. Inside that is a gift bag and more tissue paper. Inside the bag is a box. Inside the box is a tiny match box. Inside the match box it a note. ("What does it say?" Someone shouts? "April fools!" someone shouts) The student reads aloud "take 20 steps south." The kids determin which direction south is. He takes twenty steps, which is where I'm standing, slightly next to the door to back stage. I grab him and take him back there and hand him a suit case and tell him to go back to the center of the room. He opens the suitcase - inside is another bag. The students groan. Inside the bag is some tissue paper. Inside the tissue paper is... a hand carved wooden marionette! The student looks at it in total disbelief and holds it like it's the most precious thing he's ever held in his hand. The other children cheer. He looks so happy that he might cry. A staff person whispers in my ear "this is probably the first time he's ever been told he's the best at anything!" I declare him our "Poisson d'Avril" and give him a cardboard giraffe necklace to wear. When we dismiss the students they all dive on the pile of boxes, grabbing at them, wanting to keep some strange piece of the magic.
Not a single prank was pulled that day. I saw him later that day, carefully carrying his marionette to keep the strings from tangling.
I see the student the next day, he grins from ear to ear and I congratulate him, ask him if he knows anything about his marionette, tell him it's from Indonesia and he repeats "Indonesia" like it's a magic word. I ask him if he has access to a computer and to Google "Indonesia puppet" because they're so many cool puppets from that part of the world.
Best April Fools Day ever. That kid will never forget it.
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Topic: Favorite April Fool's Day jokes of the... Day (Read 5725 times)