APRIL-1ST-ACTIVITY

Lirpa Loof April Fools Day Activity: Have you ever done something with (to) your students that you thought would be really funny?  Like… a joke/trick/etc?  Ya’ll… I found this April Fools’ Day activity on Teachers Pay Teachers (I think…) and it just cracked me up – so I thought… OH MY GOSH… we are definitely doing this with our first graders.  So… our team got together, printed the activity, bought carrots, determined times we would go outside, and then set the stage for our classes.

Here’s what we told our kiddos:

There’s an amazing bird that only comes out one day a year, and TODAY is the DAY!  I know, right!  How cool is that!  Anyway – this bird is beautiful.  It has the brightest of feathers, and is one of the bigger birds that can actually fly.  He hides in trees and doesn’t really want anyone to see him.  BUT… he LOVES carrots.  AND… he also loves soft singing.  And I really think if we get some carrots and quietly go outside and sing in our “softest” most beautiful voices – we might just get to see him!  When we sing – we need to sing his name so that he knows we know about him and would love to get a glimpse of him.  Do you want to know his name?  It’s Lirpa Loof.  So if we decide to do this – we will need to hold carrots high in the air and sing in unison – “LIRPA LOOF” “LIRPA LOOF”.  We can continue singing until we spot him.  Who’s ready?

The walk outside:

As we walked outside, the students were getting more and more excited.  We walked all the way to the back of our campus where there are a bunch of trees.  We huddled up, and then they just started singing – without me even saying anything.  Ya’ll… I just about died!  It was PRICELESS!  I have it on video – and when I showed it to my adult children, they said it almost sounded like a cult.  I wish I could show you the video, but for privacy reasons, I can’t.  Here’s a picture though – and I’ve attached the audio!

 

PLEASE DON’T JUDGE!

Please don’t judge me for thinking this is HILARIOUS!  We actually went out twice, because the first time we didn’t spot anything.  But the second time – I had at least six kids who actually spotted Lirpa Loof.  YEP… I know, right!!

Once back in class:

Once we came back in after “spotting” the bird, I had a sheet with a bird that they could color feathers and draw exactly what they saw.  Then a few lines for them to write about the entire experience.  Then I had them come to the carpet.  At that point, I wrote on the board, LIRPA LOOF.  And then I told them that I wanted them to find other words from these letters.  So we did that for a while – until finally someone saw April.  I had to push for the word fool – but I finally got it – then I wrote it out – April Fool!  

Not coming back from that!

Well… I then had to explain… Mrs. Juneau pulled an April Fools’ joke on you.  There is no bird.  

DEAD SILENCE!

Ok… so it was right about then that I realized… oh oh!  Now… at this point, I had been teaching first grade for 11 years.  I thought they could handle it.  I really did.  But… their eyes!  One student even said, “But I asked you if it was real and you said yes.”  Let’s just say, at this point, I had to put on the theatrics and really play up the April Fool’s joke and that Mrs. Juneau pulled one on them…  

They lived!

After they all left, our first grade team got a good laugh about how it went down in each class.  Then I waited for the phone calls – because I knew I would get a few.  But I only heard from one – and she was laughing so hard she couldn’t even say who she was.  Her son had just explained what Mrs. Juneau “did to them” and he wasn’t pleased at all.  Mom thought it was hysterical, though! (PHEW)

Fast forward to a year later!

After that school year, I moved to the school board to work at the technology department.  I totally forgot about Lirpa Loof until I got a phone call from a 2nd grade teacher.  She said, “Shanon… I just had to call and tell you about our day.  (It was April 1st).  We had a long conversation about what their first grade teacher did to them last year. They haven’t forgotten, but they sure thought it was the funniest thing that Mrs. Juneau ever did!”

I’m not sure I would suggest doing this – but hey… if I were still teaching first grade… I surely would!  Building memories!!

I’d love to hear if you decide to do it!  I wish I could direct you to the person I found it from – but when I looked on TpT – I couldn’t find the one I used.

But I just had a friend post this one – and it sure looks like a LOT of fun! 

MONTY and April 1st’s DIGITAL ESCAPE:

If I discouraged you from doing this activity… sorry!  That wasn’t my intention.  :). But if you think your kiddos might not be able to handle the laugh, here’s another resource that gives them a chance to laugh, but without the trauma.

These digital escapes have been created with the main character, Monty, getting into all kinds of mischief.  He is always up to something, and it’s the students’ job to help him get out of trouble. 

April 1st is no different!  Monty loves playing tricks, and since it’s April 1st – he decides to change things up in the classroom.  Can you help fix the things he’s changed?  Students are given math and ELA problems that they need to solve to get things back in order.  It’s a great way to review concepts while having some fun!  These are great for groups, but can also be done independently as well as from home.  ENJOY!  Here’s a link to this resource.  

Boom Cards Digital Escape
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