Create Video Titles

I'm doing some basic family filming using an old Sony Digital Handycam.  The output is AVI and I'm editing the file into various sections, all still AVI.

I want to add titles before these sections.  I can do this using AviSynth but this is a clumsy slow process.

Is there a simple, free tool around to create these titles?  I don't need fancy effects such as fade or flying in or dissolve.  A plain text message such as "First day at school" on a plain background would suffice but if the tool supplies effects I would not say no.  Quite possibly the tool might create an AVI with the title in it.  I can join AVIs together.