The Bluebee Pals Project soared to new heights in 2017! Laura Jiencke, the creator of Bluebee Pals, has donated 1000+ interactive plush educational companions to schools and centers around the United States. Bluebee Pals Project sites have taken these generous donations and incorporated Bluebee Pals into their educational activities and therapy. We are thrilled to hear about how students and clients have benefited from Bluebee Pal experiences through surveys and testimonials.
The most frequently reported observation has been increased engagement and joint attention when Bluebee Pals were incorporated into activities. Students were observed to make eye contact, participated in tasks and attended to activities when Bluebee Pals were present.
Several participants reported that clients seemed to enjoy the novelty of being given instruction by Bluebee Pals versus the teacher/therapist. Successes were also observed when Bluebee Pals were used as a reward. Reward systems are a crucial part of any classroom or therapy session, allowing clients to know exactly what is expected of them and what they are working for.
No one likes to work for free – so it seems that Bluebee Pals were a very motivational reward! Bluebee Pals were used for a variety of activities including vocal imitation, social skills, feeding, group attention, turn-taking, grammar activities, behavior treatment as well as gross motor and fine motor activities. Bluebee Pals participated in dance parties, sing-a-longs, story telling and even potty training!
Here are some things the participants had to say in 2017
“I have seen an increase in engagement with students. For example, a student that rarely ever participates with the class has shown interest in the Blubee and will participate with the group/teacher most of the time if the Blubee is used” -Rebecca N. – Curriculum Instructional Specialist – Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE)
“It definitely helped our students stay engaged during reading time.” -Brittany High School Intervention Teacher at FACE
“In my classroom, we are learning communication skills using our favorite tech learning tool, Bluebee Pals! Children absolutely love them and are so very motivated to interact with them! Through the use of our Bluebee Pals, my students have shown tremendous progress with their speech and communication goals”! -Helen H. Wagner, M.S., CCC-SL
“They are very easy to use, and with the Bluetooth you can make the intervention very client-centered. I also like how soft they are, you can barely tell that there are any electronics inside.” -Hannah Lambert, OTAS
We thank all participants of the Bluebee Pals Project! We are so grateful for incorporating Bluebee Pals into their educational and therapy programs.