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5-Minute Film Festival: April Fool’s Day!

April Fool’s Day has a long history of pranks and hoaxes, both large and small. Check out this playlist of fun videos to get your inner trickster laughing.

March 30, 2012 Updated March 24, 2015

April Fool's Day has a long and illustrious history of pranks both large and small -- so much so, that sometimes real news stories published on April 1st get written off as fake. For teachers and students, it can be a chance to blow off some steam. There's no denying that sometimes it can go too far -- which probably makes more than a few educators glad when it falls on a weekend!

Whether you're the type to pull an elaborate hoax on your students or take the opportunity to teach about media literacy and how to identify accurate news stories, here are a few videos to make your inner trickster laugh. Happy All Fools Day!

Video Playlist: April Fool's Day!

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube.

  1. The History of April Fool's Day (02:21)

    Does anyone really know how all this tomfoolery got started? Find out in less than three minutes.

  2. Kids describe their best pranks on April Fool's Day (02:26)

    Absolutely adorable second- and fourth-graders talk about their pranks. Keep your eyes peeled for rubber spiders!

  3. April Fool's: Math Class Shadow (02:14)

    A long-time favorite with over five million views -- a smart and tech-savvy instructor gets creative with his projector.

  4. Best Pranks of the Last 100 Years (04:04)

    Vsauce brings us the best and most high-profile pranks in the last century.

  5. Post-it Note April Fool's Prank 2009 (01:59)

    This one wins for sheer dedication to the cause. What a lot of work for these high school seniors!

  6. Google Hoaxes and April Fool's Day Pranks (02:33)

    Google is known for getting in on the April Fools action with elaborate hoaxes every year. What will this year's trick be?

  7. VIS April Fool's Day FlashMob (02:16)

    I'm completely amazed that all of these students managed to keep still for three full minutes!

  8. April Fool's: Orchestra Practical Joke at Middleton HS (00:55)

    Cost of a cheap throw-away violin: $80. Faces of students when the instructor... watch to find out! Priceless.

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