Our kids mess with us every day of the year, and there’s just one day set aside specifically for messing with them. April Fools’ Day is an opportunity not to be missed.

But first, why is April 1 dedicated to pranks? No one really knows.

One guess is that April Fools’ Day comes from the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria, according to the Library of Congress’ Folklife Today blog. Another theory is that the tradition began in 16th-century France, when the calendar was changed from Julian to Gregorian. The first documented record of the April Fools’ tradition is a 1561 Flemish poem about a nobleman who sends his servant on a series of fool’s errands on April 1. That means 462 years of hoaxes, probably more.

Whatever its origin, we’re happy to take this day to play jokes on each other. We don’t believe in mean-spirited pranks, but we do believe in having a little fun with the kids.

Since kids eat all the time, here are five silly, harmless pranks to play with their food.

Brown-E

Offer your kids a plate of brown E’s. Get it? OK, this one is a little mean. But you can soften the blow by having a plate of real brownies ready.

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Cereal

Stick their milk and cereal in the freezer the night before, spoon and all. When they try to take a bite of breakfast, they’ll find it’s frozen solid.

“Juice”

Is it fruit punch? Cranberry juice? A straw stuck into a glass of Jell-O makes the ruse more convincing.

See-food

Time for a healthy snack. Stick adhesive googly eyes on the fruit, and the kids will find all eyes on them when they reach in the fruit basket.

Cake pop?

Who wants a cake pop for dessert? Dip Brussels sprouts in melted chocolate and roll in sprinkles. One bite of your faux treat and they’ll never forgive you. Consider yourself warned, they’ll be looking for payback.