Bluebee Pal Project & Easterseals of SEPA
We are excited to welcome Easterseals to the Bluebee Pal Project and their participation in providing educators and therapists with educational technology tools that engage special needs children to learn and communicate.
Easterseals provides opportunities for people of all ages with a range of disabilities to achieve their full potential. For more than 70 years, Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania has been helping people with disabilities gain greater independence. Their mission is to provide exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities. Children who receive these services are challenged with a variety of disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, spina bifida and physical and developmental delays.
https://bluebeepals.com/bluebee-pals-project-participants/
The Bluebee Pals and have been a joy to use. They have added so much to the quality of life for our kids as well as being used as a learning tool. We have used all the features – including the phone, and are continuously amazed at the kid’s responses. We love using musical playlists so the kids can sing and begin to learn the sequence and rhythm of language and begin to anticipate what comes next. i.e., If you have difficulty with mobility, belting out a song or two helps to self-regulate or calm kids so that they can then focus on school work. By singing, they are engaging their muscles from head to toe in small ways that have a huge impact on performance, and singing helps soothe the soul. Here is a taste of Bluebee at Easter Seals from a few of our teachers.
***Jo Booth OTR/L has been an Occupational Therapist for over 35 years, and currently practices at EasterSeals of SEPA, Montgomery County Division mainly focusing on Early Intervention. It is an APS (Approved Private School) and home outreach based setting. She has also worked in Adolescent and Adult Rehabilitation.
Gisele
I teach kids that are medically fragile and they all have varied abilities. We have “Matilda” tell the kids a story individually so they can also touch her soft fur and observe her up close. When playing with Matilda, we noticed an improvement in visual focus and engagement. We always help the kids hold Matilda so that they can not only feel her but also to be able to listen more closely. We’ve found Matilda excites all the senses in learning.
Lyn
My classroom contains children with multiple abilities. Many of the children have difficulty with walking and talking. “Leo” has helped the kids to broaden their ability to express themselves – and that’s not “Lion”. We always look forward to playing with Leo during circle and story time.
Laurie
I teach children with unique needs. Some children have difficulty with seeing or hearing, some have difficulty with movement, and some have a combination of both. Our “puppy” has been used for circle and learning activities. The kids love touching his soft fur and friendly face. We also like to snuggle down when reading a story with the teaching staff. We like that we can pair books that are familiar to our classroom and have found that Amazon Audible Books to be a great resource to use with our most beloved stories.
Jenna
I have an integrated classroom, meaning I teach both typically developing children and children with varied needs. We have used “Ted” for circle and story time. The children love holding Ted and hearing him tell stories. We pair both the book on the iPad with Ted so the children can hear the story and see the words on the page.
Nicole
I have a happy preschool classroom filled with both typical kids and kids that need a little bit of extra help. The children love their “Bluebee Puppy” to tell stories and play games. We have had the puppy even begin to teach the kids how to hold a stylus and begin to write their names! Our puppy makes learning fun, and we laugh when he is talking! There are so many options to use with the puppy, he can sing songs from a playlist, talk on the phone, and play learning games too.
Easter Seals Southeastern Pennsylvania-3975 Conshohocken Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131