April Fool's Day Fun

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Some years we have good ideas on how to fool our unwitting, yet much loved family members on this curiously fun holiday. A few years ago when the kids and I saw an article in Family Fun magazine in which there were bountiful ideas on how to fool family members with common food items, we thought the fake-food-left-out trick looked like a good one.

First we took leftover washed yogurt containers and mixed up a solution of white glue and food coloring (hmmm, should it be raspberry or grape?). We then poured about 1/8-cup of that mixture into and around the container, placing it on a piece of plastic wrap on its side, letting the glue dribble out in a pleasing manner with a plastic spoon tucked in at just the right angle … you know, like someone just forgot to pick up the remnants of their snack. Then we found a hidden place to let the whole creation dry for several days before April First.

Gosh, just the plans and conniving that went on during this process were worth it:

“Let’s put this in Daddy’s car!”
“Let’s leave one on his desk by his computer!”
“How about in his dresser drawer?!”

Oh, just the thought of his reaction would send them into fits of laughter, looking forward to how the joke would play out on dad (or mom!). For who knew what else they were planning, really?

Now I don’t know about you, but there are a few tough cookies (read: Dad and brother) to fool in this household. Seems like every year I try to do even just a little thing to prove that I can trick ‘em, but I usually end up as the one with egg on my face.

But as the fake food trickery all came together, it just so happened that I had a trick of my own to try on my unsuspecting jokesters themselves.

Thanks to more good ideas form Family Fun, I read how freezing some cereal and milk in the bottom of a cereal bowl is the trick to making a super April Fool’s breakfast.

And like most April Fool’s Day tricks, this one also necessitates a bit of sneaking around in preparation. But it’s fairly quick and painless. Here’s what you do: Take your kids’ favorite cereal bowls and pour about half a cup of their favorite cereal and milk in. Place in the freezer overnight. It’s always a good idea to place them where your kids (or dad/mom/brother/sister) won’t see them, on the chance they’ll rummage around in the freezer for goodies.

Next morning when it’s time for breakfast, be a helpful soul. Pull those cereal bowls out of the freezer and put some fresh cereal on top—along with some fresh milk. Then serve. And stick close by.

Just wait til they go to dig in:

“Mom! What’s wrong with my cereal?”

“Mom … I knew something was up when you poured my cereal for me!”

Along with other various exclamations and declarations, this frozen fake cereal bowl trick was a resounding success in our house … considering I actually managed to pull off a successful trick.

I think the kids may still be trying to figure out how to get me back on that one. Yep, it seems that on this goofy first day of April we’re all just waiting for an innocent moment for some foolhardy fun.

I’ll let you know what they come up with this year.

Have any good April Fool’s tricks at your household?