Kinder Surprise Storymakers website feedback thread - £250 voucher prize draw for testers NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the 100 Mumsnetters who are trying out the Kinder Surprise Storymakers website.

Here’s what Kinder Surprise’s brand manager says: “We've designed a new website to give parents a fun and simple tool to create stories with their kids. Each story will be unique and personalised with your child’s name on it. You can share the story with friends & family online, download and print, and there are thousands of storybooks to be won - so lots of lucky families will have a hard copy of their personalised book sent to their door!”

Below are the questions we’d like testers to answer but please feel free to add any other comments which you may have.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?
Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?
Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?
Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Everyone who adds their feedback below will be sent their own hard copy storybook of the story they created on the Storymakers website and also be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Love2Shop voucher!

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website? Had trouble finding the 'create account' button initially but other than that I found it bright, colourful and easy to navigate round.
Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website? Rex the mouse travelled to various places, met a host of characters and told them about his friend.
Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story? In his words "fantastic and cool!" He enjoyed writing his own text and customising the page although would have liked to be able to resize the added pictures, and was disappointed that Rex the mouse was always on the left hand page.
Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes I would, it's a fun activity and encourages creativity and spelling practice. My DS is 5 and I feel this was a good age for it.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?
I really liked it, it was simple to use and very child friendly with lots of interesting characters.

Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?
My 5 years old DS understood how to use it immediately and asked me to leave him alone to make a story. He made about 5 stories and spent a long time on it (THANK U). He made a story with a dolphin meeting a starfish and one with a car..I only helped him entering the details for the competition.

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?
He spent a lot of time on it and very felt proud once completed the stories.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, definitely. It is easy to use, entertaining and fun for children.

Q1. Would of been nice to swipe through the scenes on my Ipad, but otherwise easy to use and colourful
Q2. Our story was about a day's outing, that started with going to the beach, having a picnic and have icecream
Q3. My DC loved choosing the character and decorating the the pages, but the load time was slow and she got distracted with other things a few times
Q4. I would definitely recommend the site but only for certain devices.

I tried this website a few times over one week with my 3 year old, 5 year old and 7 year old.
I used it on a laptop and an iPad but it wouldn't work on my phone.
On one occasion I used it with just my 3 year old and I would say that that is the best age for the site.
The site is colourful and has some choice on each page to engage children. The options are limited though, the website is slow, it is very difficult to use on an iPad, there is little freedom for real story telling, no connectives to join pages of the disjointed story together and you can't format a page much (objects can't be resized etc).
Each child enjoyed dragging and dropping items onto the page, but I wouldn't say any real engagement with storytelling was allowed for in the format. My kids questions included 'Why can't we stay on the farm for the next page' and 'Why can't I move him to the other page.'.
We lost a book after finishing it, lost a page after writing our own ending, and spent 'ages' waiting for it to catch up with our plans, and were told that simple sentences were 'too rude' and had to try to rewrite them but without knowing what could have caused an issue!

We chose a fox for our final story, but we thought it was a squirrel and were a bit disappointed.
it is a nice, colourful and safe website for very young children, but doesn't really encourage any meaningful story telling due to each page of the story being separate to the last.
its a shame really, because if it was a simple app with more choices to select, the words read out for you, a simple 'next' or 'then' at the start of pages 2-4 and the chance to re-select a habitat and character it would be a really nice activity to encourage story telling!

I did this with DS2, who is 3.10. He is a little speech delayed & one thing that the SALT wanted us to focus on with him was choices, so this activity was great for that

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website? I thought the website was good for children- well laid out & colourful with fun characters. One small criticism -I did not notice until nearly the end of the process that you could add extra pictures to the story, so that could have been better signposted, I think.
Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website? DS2's story was about a parrot who travelled around having adventures - in space, in the jungle & on the farm.
Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story? DS seemed to enjoy it & really got into making the decisions by the end of it.
Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, I would, as it is a fun thing to do & encourages reading & interaction with the DC. I will try it with 6-year old DS1 soon, too.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?
I liked it. I thought that it was easy to use (apart from the initial sign in, as others have mentioned), bright, engaging and fun. I felt that it eas not too heavily branded at all, I doubt many would notice that it was Kinder. did this with DS2, who has just tured 6. He loved it, and spent ages making up various stories and scenarios so he could try out the different characters. He also then drew his own story afterwards, using his favourite character.

I really liked the lack of branding, and the fact that the characters were not gendered, so the squirrel could be whoever you wanted it to be, etc. I thought that some of the language was not pitched quite right -eg some of the words were a bit hard to be read on their own. I also felt that some of the text could have been bigger or zoom able, as t was quite small for kids used to a larger font.

Q2. His favourite story was about a funny crocodile, who told jokes to the other characters he met.

Q3. He really loved it, and has wanted to go back and do more. It also sparked off some drawing too. As he was at the higher end of the age bracket, he always wrote hos own blurb rather than use suggested content. I have told him that I will hopefully get an actual book of the story, and he is beyond excited about that, so i hope it does happen! We've already printed off many of the stories in any case.

Q4. I'd absolutely recommend it. It was fun, free and educational.

I used the site with my 5 and 7 year olds.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?

It was colourful and interesting and easy for my DC to use. I think they could make lots of stories before getting bored. They loved writing their own content and decorating the page - especially being able to choose colours and patterns of the items.

Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?

My DC wrote a story together about Dolphin Blue the Dolphin who explored the seaside; the jungle and outer space. They really enjoyed the collaboration and put a lot of thought into each page.

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?

My DC loved the website. They really enjoy writing stories anyway but to see the characters and the scenes in such cute and colourful pictures was great for them.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would definitely recommend this site. It was fun and will be a great rainy day activity.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?

I thought it was lovely and bright and colourful, and 3 year old DD was engaged as soon as I had signed in, possibly helped by the fact she spotted the kinder logo and recognised some of the toys. It was very easy to use, and after helping DD to make 2 stories on the laptop, she made the third by herself, with just some help reading the words.

Q2. Cold you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?

DD's favourite story that she made is about Sanjo the Koala, who visits the forest, under the sea, outer space and the jungle, and is usually a bit grumpy to all that he meets :)

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?

DD loved it, and went to bed only after being promised she could make more stories tomorrow. She found it fairly easy to use, yet still got to use her imagination which she loves to do. And she loved how cute some of the characters were.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, I think it is a good way to get their imaginations working, and is much better than just ordering a pre-written story that your child's name is slotted into.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to try this out.

Q1. Both me and my little boy loved the website. It is colourful, vibrant, easy to navigate and fun.

Q2. In our story, Bernie the Crocodile explored outer space, the forest, the jungle and the sea - before making his way home. On his travels, he meets some very interesting characters.

Q3. We both loved the process of writing our own story, it fired our imagination and we had fun with it. The characters are great, a bit different and sometimes quirky. My boy loved being able to add additional characters in the background and being able to change from day to night too. We struggled with the story maker when we used a tablet, but found it much more user friendly when we switched to the laptop. There were a few niggly things when creating our story - for example, if we wanted to go back a page and change something, we couldn't, we would have to start all over again. Also, you could not change the other main character once you had selected it. There is no means to edit a story you have already created. Which meant that we had to go through the entire process 3 times until my boy was happy with it. That aside, it is brilliant and incredibly interactive. Great fun.

Q4. YES. I would most definitely recommend this to friends and family. It is a brilliant tool for encouraging reading, it is a great way to spend quality time together being imaginative. The interactive element is wonderful for little minds too. There are so many characters to choose from and different stories to be created, so there is most definitely something for everybody.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, WE HAD GREAT FUN WITH THIS TRIAL.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?

It was very colourful, and certainly appealed to DD (5). Her big brother wanted a go too, and he's 10!

Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?

A dolphin called Hope ( shamelessly copying Dolphin Tale 2, our favourite film!) She went on 4 different adventures, and met different creatures along the way.

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?

She loved the autonomy of writing her own story with help, and helpfully(!?) sounded out the words we needed. However, on one of the sections it would not let us use our own wording, so we had to revert to one of the pre-written sentences. Other than that, it was brilliant.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would, as it was fun to do with DD, and she really enjoyed writing her own story using a pre-existing structure, so she could concentrate on the content rather than the process of storywriting.

We will definitely be writing more stories :-)

1. My first impressions of the site were it was very bright and colourful and we found it easy to use.

1. My 3 year old wrote about Lisa the dolphin and my 5 year olds was about Boo the paintbrush. They both enjoyed choosing characters, where they would go and who they would meet.

1. They both really enjoyed making stories. My eldest loved making up her own replies whereas my youngest just used the examples there already (she always went for the reply with the happy face) her favourite thing was adding extra characters to the page and changing the colours.

1. I would recommend this to others as it was a fun activity for both my children.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?
It was bright and looked exciting. It was pretty easy and intuitive for little ones. However I was frustrated not to be able to edit text once the ok tick had been done. I also think children might get bored fairly quickly unless there were more options and for slightly older children an opportunity to be more creative with the type of story.

Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?
Blue the dolphin going to different places.

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?
The options of writing own or using pre-written text was good for children of different ages and abilities. My ds has SEN so didn't really understand the options given so we wrote our own. The process of discussing what the character might say and then him trying to dictate it to me was helpful as he really tried to use words in a sentence. I will probably do this with him again.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes. I think children without Sen would use it differently and I think very young children would love the structure enabling them to write their own story.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website? We liked the bold & simple characters & settings.
Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website? We wrote about Lucy the dog and her adventures through different lands. She even told a joke to a monkey!
Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story? They enjoyed the fact that they could choose the characters & settings & that they could add their own ideas to the story.
Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, clear & simple to use following a simple story pattern. Perfect for early readers & writers

I liked the site, it was easy to use ( apart from dragging the smaller pictures). Dd was instantly interested.
We made a story about a Lion, which DD named Coo-Coo. It was a really enjoyable activity. I was surprised how well she grasped the idea of creating the story, and expressed her opinion about what should happen, what pictures to use etc.
I would recommend the site and will be using it again. A good activity to have on hand when you are at home with a busy wee one!

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?

I was a bit dubious at first but my 5 year old quickly got into it and enjoyed it from the start. I realised it was well thought out and the scenarios and characters were interesting.

Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?

My daughter created a dolphin character called splashy and we visited all the different places she selected.

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?

She really enjoyed it and is very excited about receiving a book with her story in. It kept her interest and she enjoyed creating each page.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

If they mentioned it I would say that it is a well thought out website to pass a bit of time with a younger child. Yes, I would recommend it to people with younger children up to age of 6.

Q1. What were your overall impressions of the Storymakers website?
I really liked the site, from the structure of the landing page (asking for adult and child registration separately), to the selection of the characters, ability to name them etc. right through to the way the story building process unfolds.

There were a few things we found a bit tricky: it wasn't clear that we could choose either the pre-scripted ending to each chapter, as opposed to writing our own, and didnt realise that we could add extra images into the pages the first time we wrote a story together.

Q2. Can you briefly tell us what the story was about which you wrote with your DC on the Storymakers website?

We have written 5 so far! DD2 has really enjoyed the creative process and keeps thinking of new stories to write. I will need to sort it out before I submit my details as there are so many!

Q3. What did your DC think of the Storymakers website and the process of writing their own story?

As above: she has loved it and it has really fired her imagination. I've had so much fun planning out the stories with her, and been really taken aback at how much she has engaged with this activity.

Q4. Would you recommend your friends and/or family to visit the Storymakers website with their child(ren), or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Definitely - it's been great and we've told everyone all about it! One more thing: I was expecting the site to be driving lots of above- and below-the-line Kinder marketing, and initially loaded up the site with a bit of anxiety around how much supermarket pester-power this was going to create. Its been a really pleasant surprise not to encounter any hard-sell at all - thank you Kinder

My book never came?

Was it supposed to have come by now?

Ours hasn't arrived either.

Hi everyone, the books are being sent out soon so should be with you soon!

Ooh good, DS keeps asking...

Update - I just got DS2's book through the post! It looks fab I am saving it as part of his birthday present (in a few weeks' time) and I'm not entirely sure he'll remember doing it , but, regardless, he'll be excited to see his name on a book.

Was pleasantly surprised that it came with a free little bar of chocolate, too

Ooh I was hoping someone had received theirs when I saw this thread pop up again. DD is desperate to see her book and I'm desperate for her to stop going on about it!

Got DDs book today, with some free chocolate too.

I'm going to have a very happy little girl this evening

DD's book arrived today. She is over the moon to be an author, and we are looking forward to reading it properly at bedtime shortly. Thanks :)

We received the book, and DD is very very proud of it. She is taking it to school to show her teachers tomorrow.