Bluebee Pals Blogs, News & Press
Here you can find current reviews on educational apps and resource learning for all abilities
Children’s Books on Diversity and Acceptance of Self and Others
Have a child, grandchild or student who is not coping well because he feels different from his friends and classmates? So often children feel they are “different” than their peers. Whether it is a perception or a reality that one doesn’t fit in, it can be a painful experience. These children must be listened to and supported and discussing the following books would be very helpful.
Are you working with children and would like a resource to help them understand the hurt they cause when they tease or shun another because of a physical difference, a personality difference, or a disability?
Tillywig Toy and Media Holiday Gift Guide 2015
Pairing a Bluebee Pal with a smart device takes just a minute or two. Once done, pretty much anything you can play on your device – apps, music, educational software, story books – can be streamed via the Bluebee Pal. Incoming calls to your smart phone can be answered with the touch of a button, turning Bluebee Pal into a wireless speaker phone whose lips move with the caller’s words. The tactile, visual, and emotional elements Bluebee Pals brings to these activities enhance children’s attention and recall, making for vivid, memorable play and learning experiences. Blubee Pals are currently available in five cuddly animals – lion, dog, lamb, zebra, and teddy bear.
Cozi presents The 2105 National Parenting Publications Awards list of top toys and gifts!
We’re proud to present the National Parenting Publications Awards list of top toys and gifts – newly updated for 2015. Use these parent- and kid-tested products as your go-to holiday shopping resource!
30 Great Gifts for Giving
Cozi Blog The latest news, stories, and offers from Cozi. Cozi is excited to partner again this year with the National Parenting Publications Awards. Their list of top toys and gifts – newly updated for 2015 – is your go-to holiday shopping resource!…
Toys + Technology + Talent = Bluebee TeeVee
I am always looking for an opportunity for Jonathan and other talented autistics, which is why I approached Laura Jienke with an idea. Laura is the CEO of Kayle Concepts and creator of the Bluetooth®-enabled Bluebee Pals plush toy companions. (The Bluetooth connection inside the plushies allows each Bluebee Pal to move its mouth in sync with a song, app or voice coming through a mobile phone.)
“What if Geek Club Books could produce a series of entertaining educational video shorts with the Bluebee Pals about autism and, most importantly, use autistic talent to write, perform, voice, film and edit them? Think a modern-day, quirky Mr. Rogers having a chatwith his Bluebee Pal,” I said.
National Parenting Publication Awards Guide To Holiday Gifts
Just as every kid is unique, so is the thought behind holiday gift giving. With one in 20 kids having a disability, the chances that you know (and might be shopping for) a child with special needs could be higher than you think. Here are some tips and ideas to help you march into the mall this holiday season and walk out with the perfect present sure to give glee!
Jessie Baker School and The Bluebee Pals: A Lesson in Assistive Technology
Teaching Outside of The Box: As part of The Bluebee Pals Project, Bluebee Pals were donated to The Jessie Baker School in Elk Grove, California. The project was created to provide the teachers and teachers aides with Bluebee Pals as an assistive technology learning tool to support and enhance the education of special needs children in the classroom. As a result, an amazing documentary was produced detailing how the teachers and students reacted, interacted and learned from the application of tablets, learning apps and their Bluebee Pals.
Bluebee Pals has teamed up with Wikids – The Talking Encylopedia for Kids
Wikids, The Encyclopedia That Talks To Kids!
Nearly anything can be explained to young kids in 80 words (30 seconds in a friendly voice).
Wikids features text, narration, images, and sounds, presents knowledge in context and is designed for independent discovery.
Let your kids explore the fascinating world of outer space, the human body, musical instruments, and much more! Each of the 120 entries provides a satisfying and enriching experience that broadens children’s horizons and keeps them interested.
How a plush bear named Sammy made my son eager to learn
This is a post by Dina Kyle, mom to six-year-old Aiden. This post was featured here on The Bluebee Pals Blog as well as Autism Speaks. The family lives in New Hampton, New York.
Aiden was watching Sammy’s eyes and mouth move as the story went along. As I happily watched, Aiden began to laugh and talk to Sammy, asking him questions I would normally ask him. Aiden stayed sitting for what seems like hours without getting up once…high five Sammy! We are going to try sight words next so stay tuned!
Bluebee Pals on YouTube
Watch the latest videos featuring your Lovable Learning Buddies, The Bluebee Pals!
Our YouTube Channel contains videos on how to use a Bluebee Pal, educational videos from many of the schools that choose to use The Bluebee Pals as an assistive technology tool; as well as customer uploads with kids just having fun with their Bluebee Pal!
Don’t forget to subscribe to The Bluebee Pals YouTube page when your there!
How can technology help students with disabilities?
Technology helps students with disabilities on many different levels. It can help them accomplish tasks like:
Master grade-level content. Technology presents the material in different forms (visually, auditorially, etc.). Improve writing and organizational skills. Technology can enable students with learning disabilities or autism to do such things as develop a concept map for a research paper and write using grade-level vocabulary or words they otherwise wouldn’t use without a computer due to poor spelling skills.
What is Assistive Technology? A Basic Guide for Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families
As a parent of a child with severe physical challenges, I would like to encourage individuals with disabilities and their families to never give up. We are living in a “technology age,” so there is always hope that some new device or piece of equipment will be designed to make our daily lives a little easier.
Assistive technology is a term that is now being applied to the equipment or devices that individuals with disabilities have been using for quite some time, e.g., wheelchairs, walkers, ramps, communication boards, etc., It should also be noted that assistive technology and services are defined in federal legislation.
Bluebee Pals and The Jessie Baker School show us the positive effects of “Assistive Technology” in classrooms of special needs children.
Kayle Concepts and our Bluebee Pals were invited on Wednesday October 7 to create a educational documentary at the Jessie Baker School( special needs) in Elk Grove, California. The purpose of the documentary was to show the “crucial” importance of technology in opening the door to communication for many special needs children, especially children diagnosed with Autism. This documentary will be released later this month.
“Our day was a joyous observation of beautiful children and the amazing dedication of teachers who take the initiative to ‘think outside box” and apply technology in their educational tool box. ” – Laura Jiencke-President of Kayle Concepts
Free Shipping On All Bluebee Pals This Week
Bluebee Pals is offering FREE SHIPPING this week!
And Just Like That…Summer Fell Into Fall
To celebrate the turn of seasons, Bluebee Pals is offering FREE SHIPPING this week on all Bluebee Pals!
Please enter code: freebluebeeshipping at checkout.
* Free Standard Shipping is available at BluebeePals.com only. The shipping carrier will be either FedEx, UPS or USPS and will be chosen at our discretion.
Free Shipping offer expires 10/10/15
Consumer Tips for Evaluating Assistive Technology Products
There are many assistive technology (AT) products available, and new tools are frequently released on the market. The first step to narrowing down your search for appropriate AT tools is to analyze several factors: your child’s individual needs, the particular task(s) she must accomplish, the AT tools that address her challenges and the settings where she will use the technology. Once you have identified these key factors, you will want to focus on the quality, usability and reliability of the AT tools themselves. Here’s how to be a savvy consumer.
Understanding Assistive Technology
If your child has learning and attention issues, you’ll want to know about a variety of accommodations to boost his learning. Assistive technology (AT) can be an effective accommodation. Understanding what AT is and how it works is the first step toward finding the right tools for your child.
There are many kinds of AT that help kids with learning and attention issues. These tools can help them work around their challenges while playing to their strengths. This helps them become more successful, productive students. At the same time, their confidence and independence can grow.
Aiden Kyle – A Child On A Mission
When Aiden was first diagnosed, I felt he needed to learn the old-fashioned way. With the help of our speech teacher, Aiden received at home “Early Intervention”. For therapy aids – we used trains, pictures, various objects, and flash cards. Aiden’s speech teacher would sit with him to talk and show him the different objects. He would try so hard to talk, but only sounds would come out. He would sit and play with the train while trying to say what was on the card. Aiden would try harder each day until he was able to tell us each of the objects and pictures placed in front of him – he just loved learning. As he was able to identify more objects, we added more material to challenge him. He is an amazing little boy.
Bluebee TeeVee – Educational Television for Autisitic Kids and Their Peers
NEW YORK – Schools are entering into the era of the inclusion model, where all students—even those with disabilities—learn and participate in the classroom together. And yet, there is still a high percentage of autistic students who are bullied (source) due to the stigmas surrounding autism and public’s lack of understanding. CEO Laura Jiencke of Kayle Concepts, and creator of the Bluetooth®-enabled Bluebee Pals plush toy companions, announced the company’s innovative autism education initiative: Bluebee TeeVee.
Bluebee TeeVee is a series of entertaining webisodes to empower autistic children and educate their non-autistic peers about autism. The videos will focus on friendship, bullying, communication, safety and other important autism-related topics.
“Leo The Lion Reads in Spanish” -by Twinkle Twinkle Books
The Turkey Who Forgot How To Gobble is a fun way to teach animal sounds to children and has been recommended and used in speech-language curriculum as a way to teach farm animal sounds to kids. This app has been well received by parents, kids, and educators alike. This app features happy background music, colorful illustrations of the barnyard animals, clear narration, mild animation appropriate for young children, and cute farm animal sounds the kids will gobble up.
Autism Speaks Resource Library – Online TV & Audio Tools page
New! “Bluebee TeeVee, Autism Information Station.”
Bluebee TeeVee, Autism Information Station is a webisode series where kids learn all about autism—in a friendly, clinically correct and respectful manner with humor and pop culture references thrown in for fun. An innovative series that will help children see past differences, learn acceptance and understanding and the discovery that we’re all pretty much the same at heart. The show’s host, James Sullivan is the script writer, filmmaker and editor. Jonathan Murphy performs the character voices for the Bluebee Pal co-hosts. Both of these talented young men are on the autism spectrum. Each webisode comes with an episode guide for educators and parents who wish to delve deeper into a particular topic. Bluebee TeeVee Autism Information Station is available for free.
View the webisodes online
More information and Episode Guides
Download the webisodes and tool kit
Bluebee TeeVee Has Launched! Episode 1: What is Autism
Introducing Bluebee TeeVee, Autism Information Station, a webisode series where kids learn all about autism—in a friendly, clinically correct and respectful manner with humor and pop culture references thrown in for fun. An innovative series that helps children see past differences, learn acceptance and understanding, and discover that we’re all pretty much the same at heart.
The show’s host, James Sullivan is also the script writer, filmmaker, and editor. Jonathan Murphy performs the character voices for the Bluebee Pal co-hosts. Both of these talented young men are on the autism spectrum. Each 5 minute episode will feature James Sullivan, having a friendly chat with a Bluebee Pal−Sammy the bear, Leo the lion, Lily the lamb, Winston the dog, or Riley the zebra−to help children have a deeper understanding and connection to those with autism.
Get your 1st, 2nd or even 3rd Bluebee Pal Today!!