Have you ever taught a four-year-old to tell knock-knock jokes? They get the idea, but not quite well enough to pull it off. (Knock knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Orange you glad I didn't say banana? But you did say banan...oh, never mind.)

That's kind of how it is when you teach a young child about April Fool's Day. I tried to teach my then four-year-old last year, but eventually it dissolved into "Mama, there's an elephant in the driveway." By the 1,000th time, I was wishing April Fool's Day would be done already.

This year, I'm committed to expanding their humor base. Laughter is important in a household and pranks that are funny, but not hurtful, can tickle everyone's funny bone. These food pranks from Family Fun are a great place to start. Surprise kids at breakfast with some alien milk, put a surprise in their lunch box, or help them prank the whole family at dinner with a fauxberry pie.