What breakfast foods read best on a sign?

Fried egg, bacon strips, and a coffee mug, all three are recognizable in three marker strokes. Pancakes need more detail; skip them unless someone is artistic.

How do you wear a cardboard sign comfortably?

Two strings through the top corners, worn like a sandwich board over normal clothes. Keep the board at chest height so it does not bang knees.

Breakfast Buffet

By Billy Litner

25 min · $2-5 · Easy

Fit: One per person, so kids and adults each get a real fit. Start from clothes the wearer already owns in their size, and size every prop against them before attaching.

Everyone picks a breakfast: egg, bacon, toast, pancake, OJ, coffee. Cardboard signs over normal clothes.

Open this costume in Pick My Costume

DIY this week: ~$2-5, 25 min

Each person picks a breakfast item.
Draw the food on paper FIRST to plan the layout.
Draw big, the food must read from across the room, so fill the whole board.
Draw the food big on the cardboard with the markers.
Thread the string through the holes and wear the sign over normal clothes like a sandwich board.

Tip: make one extra small sign that says 'BREAKFAST BUFFET, all you can eat' and have the tallest person carry it. The sign turns five food boards into one group costume.

You need

Cardboard sheets, 1 per person about 2x2 feet (make: cut from boxes)
Markers in assorted colors, 1 pack (own, or buy: dollar store)
String or yarn, about 4 feet per person (own)
Scissors, 1 pair

Steps

Each person picks a breakfast item.
Draw the food on paper FIRST to plan the layout, then cut a large circle or rectangle from the cardboard sheets with the scissors.
Draw big, the food must read from across the room, so fill the whole board.
Draw the food big on the cardboard with the markers. Draw a fried egg, bacon strips, buttered toast, a pancake stack, a glass of OJ, or a coffee mug.
Safety: an adult pokes the holes in the top corners with the tip of the scissors, since pushing through cardboard takes force.
Thread the string through the holes and wear the sign over normal clothes like a sandwich board.
Optional pro finish: make one extra small sign that says 'BREAKFAST BUFFET, all you can eat' and have the tallest person carry it. The sign turns five food boards into one group costume.

Common questions

What breakfast foods read best on a sign?: Fried egg, bacon strips, and a coffee mug, all three are recognizable in three marker strokes. Pancakes need more detail; skip them unless someone is artistic.
How do you wear a cardboard sign comfortably?: Two strings through the top corners, worn like a sandwich board over normal clothes. Keep the board at chest height so it does not bang knees.

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