I’m bummed that April Fools Day 2017 falls on a Saturday. But if you’re one of those teachers who still has to pull a prank on your students, here are some ideas I’ve found. Also check out my ideas from previous years!
No Prep
Make a word search that has none of the words in it. Or, for the no-prep version, use mine! Click here to download: April Fools Word Search.
Ask for an important assignment, form or permission slip from last week that you never assigned. (source)
Talk but don’t say anything! Move your lips like you are talking. See how long you can keep going (don’t laugh!). You can do that on April Fools Day, or the day before. Then on April Fools Day, hand out a pop quiz or a crazy hard assignment on what you “said.” (source)
“[I] put a sign in my door that said please use other door. THERE ISN’T ANOTHER DOOR! Lol they loved it!” -Reader, Tami H.
Some Prep
“I often play Bingo with my Spanish I students as a vocabulary review. Instead of each student having a different card, I made enough copies of one card and then gave them all the same card. It took them a while to catch on, but when they did, it was quite amusing!” – Anonymous Reader
“I usually point out a running course for them that will take FOREVER to complete and then say they have to finish in 3 minutes. As soon as they take off running I yell, “April Fools!” – Reader, TeacherTim (source)
What have you done to prank your students? Comment below (no sign-in required)!
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The concept of equal is critical to kids understanding of so many things in math. Here is a simple page I made to reinforce this concept. In addition to the concept, it also helps kids learn the vocabulary. The key is on page 2 of the PDF. Thanks for checking out my blog!
Click here to download the full-size PDF: 
After you teach your kids the states and capitals (using the “Fifty Nifty States” song!?), you’re going to need a quiz. Or a practice page to make sure your kids can spell everything correctly. Either way, it’s pretty handy! The printable has two versions of the page to give students (one with the states listed and one with the capitals listed) and an answer key.
Learning about clouds in elementary school is always fun. At minimum, it’s an excuse to go outside! Here’s my really simple graphic organizer to teach the science basics of clouds. There’s a space for some words about each type and an illustration. You can also glue cotton balls in that section instead. Shape/pull the cotton ball to match each type.
I recently found this worksheet I made forever ago. It worked well with basic graphing. . Have the kids color and count each shape. Then create a graph based on the number of times each shape appears. It has worked well to start with a page like this where the graph structure is there and they just have to fill in the grid. Once we get good at this kind, I start having the kids make the graph structure themselves. Sometimes I just cover the bottom half of the paper before I run copies. Then the students have to make the entire graph themselves. Easy-peasy!
Whenever we have a family gathering (like Fourth of July that’s coming up!), I like to have something for the kids to do. Whether it’s a craft, new game, something to color or an educational page worth a candy, I don’t feel prepared unless I have something planned in case they don’t find something to entertain themselves. Check out this page. It’s super simple: just color the fireworks based on if they’re even or odd.
Squarehead Teachers 