2Simple - Create a story review

Written by Deon Du Plessis in Connect Magazine

Software developer 2Simple has created a creativity-inspiring software package for children aged 4 to 12 that lets them tell stories on their computers. It provides all the drawing tools needed for kids to create stories in their own way, and also includes some very basic animation techniques that can be applied to drawings for that “something extra” that makes the stories really come to life.
It’s not a professional animation program by any means, but 2Create a Story works hard to put all the tools needed for basic picture-creation at the child’s fingertips, and then encourages them to animate those pictures in a way that they become livelier than a plain old static image. You can also add sound effects using sound files or your own recorded with a microphone, and linking multiple scenes together in a slideshow format is how the child’s “story” ultimately unfolds.
Since this is a very simple program, the interface is very basic. The company’s name hints at the fact that this is what they were shooting for, which is a good thing; better, the buttons are clearly labelled, and using the interface to create imagery is easy enough that kids (and parents) with basic computer knowledge shouldn’t have problems using it effectively.
Likewise, the options that are available to animate your child’s drawings are rather basic, but they are more than functional enough to add significantly to his or her drawings. They include back-and-forth motion, two objects entering from either side of the screen and meeting in the middle, making things explode, spin and more. Some of the animations available take some practice to get “just right”, but this is to be expected from any program. We battled to get a seesaw we drew to bounce up and down properly, but with some trial and error we managed to get it right.

Bringing two objects together was easier, as the program clearly indicated where the original image would be split, and we got our two stick figures to meet in the middle just fine. So all that is really needed is some practice before the animation process becomes familiar. Finished stories can be exported as .SWF (Flash) files, and uploaded and shared with friends, classmates and family. The whole process is really about as easy as it gets, and over time kids should have no problems putting together basic stories. 2Create A Story is a very simple, easy-to-use software package aimed at kids, and it succeeds in its goal of encouraging children to use the computer to create imaginative stories. It’s very easy to use, simple to install, and comes highly recommended.