I've been thinking about trying to expand on my Janegirl Camp story. I sorta felt one thing that might move the plot along would be having Zee and the other campers getting involved in different activities. I've come up with a few ideas, but I've been struggling to come up with any really interesting ones, so I thought I'd try asking others for suggestions.
So, if you have any ideas for activities boys who have varying degrees of interest in dressing or acting like girls, or activities that any kid between the ages of 10 and 12 might find fun, please let me know! Also, if you have any suggestions or ideas of what might be interesting to include in this story, I'd love to hear them! :)
Comments
Best I can do, sorry
A Janegirl, much like a tomboy, is going to want things that are strictly feminine & be repelled by hypermasculine, much like a tomboy will want something hypermasculine but absolutelly refuse anything strictly feminine. Yes it is a generalization, but it is what it is.
Stereotypical, well known female centered activities, will be the most appealing. I have seen, heard read etc some TG camps that catered specifically to transgender girls & the mass majority of activities were extremely girly girl.
Feminine lessons in makeup, fashion, Hair, skincare, deportment, etiquite & oral (talking & singing) en femme
Tea parties
barbie time
baby(doll) care (babysitting lessons)
Feminine centered athletics; field hockey, cheerleading, ballete, ribbon on a stick etc
Slumber party games/layout
Dressup & modelling
Home economics lessons/domestics play/chore time
(Heavily supervised) truth or dare
Dramatic, musical & visual arts; plays, musicals, playign instrements, painting etc
Peer support (think ‘the talking stick’) Sessions
Swimming en femme
singing round a campfire; smores, marshmellows, weiners on a stick
Female variety Sex/health education (perhaps partially altered)
Horses, bunnies, kitties etc
There are so very many. I cannot go on much more then what i can imagine and what i have read.
The 1 time I was sent to a overnight variety type camp away from home, I lasted... 3 hours before i broke down & they had to come and get me. I was distraught to be around so many boys, it was all hyper masculine & that jerk counselour guy was mean, i did not even know more about my ‘back issues’ other then a ‘bad back’ then he picked on me for being a ‘fletcher’ who couldnt do archery, my back etc it refrained me, he ragged on me bad.
I did enjoy seeing his reaction when he saw me getting wheeled around after I was diagnosed with life threreatening scholiosis & had op so I was relaerning to walk, he gave me a ‘is that why’ sorta look and I nodded giving him scolding eyes. He scurried off, who ever woulda guessed running into him just outside cityhall. I wouldnt doubt he was talking to a paroll officer, he was a complete dick. It is funny cause he had issue with his arm when i saw him, i wonder if maybe he got the wrong end of an arrow in mr perfect’s arm lol. Possible, can only hope. Obviously he never apologized, why don’t guys ever acknowledge they are wrong and apologize? Ugh i dunno
All i remember about there, was of course archery, swimming which i opted out (which was allowed cause I could not and still cannot swim), pudding, it was medieval centered but it was a boy scout thing my grade 4 teacher passed on to my mum, to help ‘correct’ my ‘effeminate behaviour’ was not effeminate, ugh still ticks me off, feminine and effeminate are like soooooooo different; effeminate is like Richard simmons or rue paul, feminine is classy & not over the top stereotypes. Course i will throw them a bone, and say this was the 90’s, tg children let alone transition for children was unheard of & I think it was illegal.
Hopefully I was adequetly helpful.
With Love and Light, and Smiles so Bright!
Erin Amelia Fletcher
Oh wow!
Those are some great ideas! I'd tried talking my parents into going to summer camp once, but wasn't able to go. Considering I'd be stuck all day and night with some of the kids who had harassed me at school, it was probably a good thing I didn't go.
But now I can (sorta) have the camp experience I'd always wanted. Thanks for your help! :)
Inspiration?
As much as it would be important to at least look at what they do not want to become; ie angry father, uncle, etc., so many if not most of us just wanted to (still) become girls/women. To that end, looking in specific to the women who inspired these girls. Mothers. Sisters. Aunts. Even a transwoman friend or relative - defining in a way WHY the camp is so vital to them?
And not necessarily to be exclusive, per se, but might every girl want to be there? Might there be exploration regarding a sib or friend observing the girl BEFORE they arrive, or accompanying their friend or sib, the latent desire might be awakened just by seeing all these girls excited to be there - maybe even a classmate or neighbor of the boy observing it all? The ABSOLUTE Sweet & Sentimental moment many of us hoped for?
I am excited for this new venture!
Love, Andrea Lena
Having an idea...
...of what the campers do and don't want to be makes a lotta sense. I'm pretty sure some of them would have different levels of interest in being girlish, just like not all tomboys have the same level of interest in being boyish. Thanks so much for your suggestions! :)
Fun Activities
A medium-to-high function autistic child might attend the camp, and attract the attention of everyone else, who discover what torments him/her.
Holding him under water.
The person behind him steps on his heel when they walk in line.
He's body-shy, doesn't want anyone to see him naked.
He's tormentingly mocked as a girl.
He may never have wanted to become a girl. Teachers and administrators might be persuaded by the bullies all calling him a girl, and his own angry vehement denials, that he's really a girl inside and wants to be one. His parents are ultimately persuaded to send him to this camp.
There's plenty else one can think of.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Hmmm...
That sounds like someone who'd be interesting to have at camp. I'm not sure if I'll have someone exactly like you described, but you definitely given me some good ideas. Thank you! :)
Not sure I can get into Jane-girl head-space ..
... but trying to imagine I was one...
Some things that would have helped me 'way back when', and for the rest of my life ...
Learning how to make and keep friends, especially Lady friends, and without having sex (desire/activity) getting in the way. And friendships with men, but without the one-up-ing and 'mine is bigger' ...
Learning how to cry - and getting past "boys/men don't cry" ... (Oddly (?) my Dad was a bit of a role model there - he could and did cry. Not often, but enough to teach me a bit.)
Cooking (especially cooking, as I now live alone, and make most of my own meals), sewing and clothing repairs; also cleaning and general home care.
Theater, stage plays and such, maybe "improvisational'. (Think 'Saturday Night Live'.) Theater can allow all kinds of gender-bending, think some of Shakespeare's comedy romps.
And jewelry, that I maybe I would not get 'flak' for wearing...
Developing relationship skills...
...sounds like a good thing to learn at camp. I think this may especially help Zee, who's been keeping his girlish interests hidden from other kids. Thanks for your help! :)
Some Ideas
Gender roles at summer camps I've grown up at were there... but most kids participated in all of the activities, so I'm not quite sure if there's something you want to take off of here. Some suggestions:
Swimming in a creek, lake, pool, etc.
Art projects like tie-dying shirts, painting murals, drawing, needlework, or maybe even more simple glue/glitter projects?
Hiking and some girly antics when they see a harmless critter?
Pranking each other...
Nail painting party before bed?
Cabin inspection each morning. Trying to make an extra effort like decorating the front of the cabin or something.
Campfire songs are a necessity!
Maybe some antics related to getting mail at lunch or dinner? (I went to one that made us sing if we had the most mail...)
Skit nights would also seem to be something that would be included in a camp like this. Maybe some intro to ballet dancing or gymnastics?
On the TG specific maybe some lessons on passing? It's an interesting story you've started, curious to see where you go!
Oh cool!
I really like the activities you suggested. I don't think all the campers will be super girly, and I think at least some of them might be self conscious about doing girlish things around strangers, so having activities that aren't oriented specifically for boys or girls sounds like a good idea. Thanks so much for your help! :)
Riding unicorns + swimming while turned into mermaids!
What? It's not a magical camp?! Oh, sorry...
Well they could have still have mermaid classes
with those fabric fake tails + cute seashell or starfish bikini tops.
I would've loved something like that when I was a kid, still would in fact.
And maybe if they had horses they could skoosh ice cream cones
onto their foreheads; Although I guess they'd fall off pretty quick
and the horses would probably get quite annoyed.
But regular old horses are pretty cool too...
~hugs, Veronica
.
Tinkerbell's Zipline? That you ride while wearing fairy wings?
Or maybe that's too much fantasy-stuff, but I'm in a mode tonite...
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
*smiling*
Well, while this isn't a magical camp, I still like your ideas. Swimming with wearable mermaid tails sounds fun! The horses might get some *serious* ice cream headaches with them cones on their foreheads, but horseback riding so unds cool! Thanks for sharing your ideas! :)
"Voting for" & extending two ideas from Erin Fletcher ...
The 'talking stick' idea - Many have trouble 'taking turns' in a conversation, with saying something and then >shutting up<, and with little rambling. And (not) waiting a bit to let the another take the floor. This is even harder in "over the 'net" conversations, where we lose body language "cues". (Zoom has a 'raise hand' button).
This is good life-skill for everybody, especially boys/men who all too often conversationally 'steamroller' children, girls, women... Using 'the 'stick' (or token) can help bring out contributions from the shy, the hesitant, the less confident, and those needing more time to think before speaking. People using single-channel radio are taught to say "over" when finished, and then stop transmitting so everybody can listen and somebody else talk.
And learning emotional support (which I envy women doing more easily/routinely). Male-male support seems stereo-typically limited to sharing alcohol... I once got emotional support from a good male friend Oh, yes!...
The Jane-girls can be taught/learn both skills, and learn how to teach the skills to people in their lives.
===
Maybe somebody from Zee's life shows up - the hyper-macho coach, the bully (with the obvious secret, or who was sent to learn better), a good teacher who is there to learn how to spot and help Jane-girls and others who are 'different', a Scouting-type leader whose pack is a (bigoted) mess...
Learning to communicate...
...in a way that allows *everyone* to participate sounds like something a lotta campers could use. That'd include both those who tend to be shy, as well as those who have a habit of dominating conversations. Learning to support each other sounds like something that'd be good for everyone as well. Thanks for highlighting and expanding on those ideas! :)
Well, my only camp experience
was wrestling camps. . .
My sister went to 4H girl summer camp, but that was 50 years ago, and to be honest? Her descriptions of it are hardly what you are looking for. Those gals were HARD CORE, and without the stress of being "unladylike in public?" I think they redefined being 'tom boys'. Near as I can tell, if it was supposed to be a 'boys only activity,' they did it and were determined to do better. About the most girlish thing she remembers is campfire singing and s'mores. Hardly gender-specific.
I looked on the web for 'vintage girl summer camp activities' and for "Victorian era Ladies Outdoor activities."
Perhaps the Victorian activities would give you the opportunity to explore vintage fashion. Putting on 14 lbs of lady's undergarments is a fairly long exercise in and of itself. as for other period ideas:
Croquet, and evidently, the ladies took no prisoners. How you do Mortal Combat by Croquet, in corsets no less, is beyond me, but the articles hinted at it.
Horseback riding, perhaps some side saddle experiences?
(don't hit me, Erin Amelia! I'm just the messanger Tigger!!) Archery. Elegant Ladies in the Summer Walking Frocks shooting Bow and Arrow. There was even some mention of ladies using firearms, but that's probably not suited to this story concept.
Lawn Tennis (in long skirts, played genteelly)
bicycling (evidently, one of the reasons for bloomers was to be able to ride a bike astride with split leg skirts) Maybe some vintage 'big front wheel bikes' for the more adventurous?
Of course, the usual activities of needle point, water colors, reading and sedate walks in the park (stylishly bonneted and with parasols properly unfurled).
As for the search for vintage girl summer camps, most of what I found were posed group pictures or photos of some activity - usually swimming, archery or canoeing - that were also carefully posed. One thing? The closest apparel I saw to anything like knocking around grubbies were their very sedate bathing costumes.
I did find this sample daily schedule. There were other such things online, but they didn't offer much in the way of detail.
Well, that's all for now.
warm furry hugs. Looking forward to more of your story!
Tiggs
Hearing about the 4H camp...
and how the girls there were redefining being tomboys, started me wondering if maybe there could be a Tomboy Camp somewhere near the Janegirl Camp. Not sure if I'll want to include that or not, but it is an interesting idea. Having a Victorian style camp experience doesn't sound like the direction I'm headed with this story, but some of the activities you mentioned might work well. Thank you for your suggestions! :)
*hugging back*
So many good ideas
Heather,
I hope I can call you "Heather". I have always loved that name. I think that names that come from plants are some of my favorite.
Everyone has posted so many good ideas over the last day or so. I don't think that I have much to add. Still I'm not sure that I can help myself except to run on a bit. I hope you don't mind and find at lest some of this useful. Let me share a few thoughts. First we have the campers themselves. Second we have the camp director and zir staff. Finally we have the camp maintenance crew. In addition I want to expand a bit about the story structure and things like narrative and character. Let me go into a bit of detail for each.
Of course the story revolves around the campers. We see that Zee/Zoe is central to the story. We see that (s)he has a positive relationship to his father. We don't get much more than that. So there is plenty of room for development. And there are likely to be a bunch of other campers that Zee associates with daily.
One of the central character groupings in a "camp" story will be the "troop" or "clique", or "cabin", of campers who are housed together and their leader, or "big sister", or "house mom" or "BFF". A lot of fun can be had deciding on just the vocabulary for both the grouping of campers and for the names they give themselves. Then the campers might get to choose a name for their crew.
The social structure of the camp is provided by it's director and by zir staff. These include the pod leaders but also cooks and activity coordinators and lieutenants and so on. The old saw goes: "Organizations take on the character of the people who lead them." This seems another part of the story that would be fun write out.
One of the most important people in the camp and one of the central activities that makes or breaks a camp is meal time. So the cook and how the cook gets her work done are critical. And that feeds into the structure and scale of the facilities. Is this a wilderness camp? a residence camp with dorms and cafeteria? Do campers participate in meal prep? Lots of potential subplots are possible about food.
Another critical group of staff members are the activity coordinator and hi(s/r) crew. What kind of camp is it? We know that it is a janegirl camp but that sets only the most basic of expectations. How far along the serious/playful spectrum does it go? Is there a pool or a lake? Are there boats or horses? Are there competitions? Is the camp structured around a set of overt or covert goals? Do they succeed?
Then of course any camp has facilities. And those facilities have people who maintain them. Latrines and showers and lawns and tents or cabins. And there is laundry and transportation and then managing all the special facilities. These people can appear in the story and often serve as foils for plot points. They become mentors or spirit guides or just an alternative perspective on some of the activities at camp.
I love the idea of constructing this janegirl camp world. I think that there are lots of opportunities for many fun and fulfilling stories to tell about the place and the people involved. Some of this ground has been covered by other sissy school and conversion therapy stories. Still, as with any genera fiction, there is room to do it again.
Of course all the physical detailing and world continuity stuff is secondary to the actual people that populate, and the stories told in the world. Narration, expository, dialog are the things that carry a story. All this world building is really secondary.
I wonder if there is room for a treatment of the topic that is not all transgender transition story and not all hobby crossdressing. I wonder if this is a multi-story universe of many authors that you have conceived. Personally I'd love for a canonical universe to evolve around this place. I'd love for it to be sweet & sentimental but with enough conflict and challenge to draw interest. I'd also like it to leave room for hobby crossdressing even if it does include characters all along the many different spectra involved.
Thanks for asking for help. It was fun taking a few minutes to write down some ideas around this topic. I have a number of characters in my "not yet ready to publish" pile that would have a great time at janegirl camp.
I've run on too long already. You have more important things to do about jane camp than listen to me babble about how much I love the idea.
I'm looking forward to seeing where you take all this.
Ever your devoted fan
Crescenda
aka
Your friend
Crash
Calling me Heather...
...or Heather Rose both work good for me! I appreciate all the details you you mentioned on how the camp could be set up, as well as the kinds of interactions both campers and staff could have. Please don't worry about running on, or anything like that. You've really given me lots of neat things to think about. Thanks so much! :D
To complicate things
As I understand the word "Tomboy" it's a girl behaving boyishly.
A Janegirl (a word I'd actually heard before) thus would be a boy wanting to do things normally associated with girls or behaving girlishly. Not really, or at least not necessarily, TG.
A Janegirl camp thus probably would have to accomodate a wide variety of children from those with an interest in what is normally considered as girl activities (such as ballet* or sewing) without being feminine in their behaviour and all the way through to the girly-girl TG.
Not an easy task. Of course a wide-ranging camp like that would let the campers find out more about themselves.
Of course my musings may have nothing at all to do with the Janegirl camp Zee is going to. A lovely idea that will be interesting to see developed.
*In the ballet school I attend there was once a pointe class without any female students. Admittedly only once but anyway.
My idea of what it means to be transgender...
...tends to cover a lot of ground. Basically, if someone acts, dresses, or identifies with a gender different from what had been assigned to them at birth, I think of that person as being transgender. I realize others have different ways of seeing that. I hope that won't cause any issues with this story. I'm imagining there will be a lot of differences between each of the campers, and I hope that'll make reading about them more interesting. I really appreciate your input and thoughts on this. Thanks so much! :)
After a lot of reading and thinking...
I've put together a list of activities and classes that *may* wind up in future chapters of Janegirl Camp. I didn't include *everything* that had been suggested, partly because the list was starting to feel pretty long, but also because some of what was said felt more like events and character developments that could happen, rather than activities and classes. So, without further ado, here is the list. :)
Archery
Ballet/Dance
Berry Picking/Preserving
Cabin Decoration/Cleaning/Maintenance
Campfire Cooking/Fire Safety
Canoing/Safe Water Navigation
Chat Circle (using 'talking stick')
Crafts (friendship barrette/clothespin doll/custom scrunchy/tie-dyeing)
Creative Writing
Dining Etiquette
Doll Drama Improv
Drawing From Nature
Field Hockey/Soccer (other games played on a field)
Flower & Vegetable Gardening
Gender Roles/Identity/Presentation
Hiking/Wildlife Observation
Knitting/Macrame
Poise/Self Confidence
Riding & Taking Care of Horses
Saturday Social (where Janegirl Campers socialize with Tomboy Campers)
Sculpting (soap/clay/wood)
Sewing (skirt/pillowcase/curtains/simple-ish mermaid tail?)
Singing (camp songs and maybe choral singing?)
Slumber Party (bringing campers from all cabins together in one place)
Softball/Kickball (other base running games)
Swimming/Water Safety
Tennis/Badminton/Volleyball
Tumbling/Floor Gymnastics
Dress up
I think they should be done in a few different ways. First off group introduction on the rules search like bringing you on underwear and what is available. Finishing off with a group dress up. Sessions with with you and your counsellor to see how far you like to go. And once everybody's got through this part but time to try other options.
I think I would split the wardrobe into two parts. part 1 items you can wear out for the day. Part 2 two items for trying on and see how you look.
What I would having the wardrobe is an example of anything girly in feminine. From jeans and tops to skirts and blouses and dresses of all kinds.
I am a male lolita.
So what is lolita fashion http://lolita-tips.tumblr.com/faq
Dress up activities...
...sounds like a lotta fun! Thanks so much for the suggestion. :)
The result of activities completed
A couple of hours stories I was reading sparked an idea or two. Collative other groups like this probably out badges for completing activities for example introductory to archery would give you a baked tick badge then you get gold silver and bronze based on how good you are. It would certainly encourage people to do as many activities as they can especially if it's a competition for the most badges at the end of camp. One other thing based on this idea would be too to modify the badges if there is a disadvantage or doing the activity in female attire. For example wearing a dress to do archery may get you a badge with with a pink string. I'm not too sure how this one would work well you're not?
I am a male lolita.
So what is lolita fashion http://lolita-tips.tumblr.com/faq
Oooo!
I like the idea of badges, or some other way of rewarding campers for participating in activities. I'm not so sure about the competition part before. I tend to avoid competition myself when I can, but I can see how that might be fun for others. Thanks for the suggestion! :)