Learning® Magazine
2017 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Family
The Teachers’ Choice Awards honor products of exceptional quality and outstanding performance in the classroom and at home! Our panel of teacher evaluators use each product in their classrooms and homes to find the best products for teachers and parents.
Evaluation Form
Below you will find the comments for your product. As you read the comments, please note that this is the literal text from the evaluation forms. We have not differentiated comments between the teachers on each team. Although we encourage teachers to provide comments, it is not a requirement. Therefore, you may notice if you had multiple entries, the responses may be more or less in depth depending on the team of teachers. We do not use comments in the scoring process. They are provided as insight into the panel’s thoughts on your product.
We hope you find the responses helpful and continue to participate in the Teachers’ Choice Awards in the future. Applications will be available in January 2017 for the 2018 Teachers’ ChoiceSM Awards programs.
Product: Bluebee Pals – Lion
Company: Kayle Concepts
What aspects of this product did you like most?
I can’t say enough about this awesome toy. It is not only cute, but is hard to leave alone. It is soft and stands up to much playfulness with the children. The lion is very realistic when he talks. It is so easy to get started. None of us had to read the instructions. It has many great features.
This was reminiscent of Teddy Ruxpin, though not nearly as creepy as I remember him. However the excitement that this Lion created for my six year old was that same crazy love that everyone had for old Teddy back in the 80s. The website had a lot of great things going for it. The font used was big and clear and the pictures were great. I especially loved how the children looked real, not like kids picked to do a GAP ad. Everything is clear and looks clean.
The Bluebee Pal was a hit with my youngest child. He was absolutely fascinated with the fact that the lion could be used for phone calls, music, and learning applications. I was really impressed with the quality of the sound from the speakers. We never had any connection problems with any of the Bluetooth devices we used. The directions are thoroughly written, so I really had no need to watch the demonstration video, however I did to ensure I was not missing anything. The stitching on the animal was strong, so there were never any issues with holes or tears in the animal. He is so soft, and my son loved to cuddle with him during story times. When we used it with the learning applications and stories, it was a great tool to keep my son focused for a longer period of time. We are always reading to our boys, which is so important in early literacy development. This is a great way to have your child read to at any time of the day!
Did you find the product interesting or motivating for children? Please explain.
My kids take this lion almost everywhere. They both love it. It is helpful with my son for reading. It is also just fun to watch a story or song come to life while the lion tells it to you. The lion is very well synchronized. We all love him!
My son loves this Lion. He loved it the moment we took it out of the box. He loved solely as a stuffed animal and usually prefers baby dolls to stuffed animals so this is pretty big for him. We we
connected it to Pandora, it’s all he wanted to do for days, just listen to Pandora through “Bluebee”. He also almost lost his mind when we took a call from Daddy and Daddy was talking through Bluebee. His biggest disappointment in life is that all of our calls don’t come through Bluebee and that we don’t get more calls. He really thinks of Bluebee as his friend.
My son was very motivated to use this product. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, he was excited to read books and work on learning applications because his lion pal was talking to him. I definitely can see this used at home, and even in a preschool setting to motivate children to want to do learning activities. It really makes the learning come alive for the child! I felt like a kid again when I turned him on and he came to life. He reminded me of my Teddy Ruxpin from a long time ago!
Would you recommend this product to another parent whose child is at the appropriate grade/age level? Why or why not?
Yes, yes, yes. This is an awesome educational and fun toy for all ages. I like it , my 12 year old dies, and my nine year old adores it. The lion, blueberry pal, is highly recommended.
I would. It’s a cute fun product and makes for a sweet friend for children. It was fun to see my son’s face light up every time he played with it and how everyone who has come to my house since we got him got a proper introduction. He brags about all the things “Bluebee” can do and before we know it a dance party has broken out. What parent doesn’t want a dance party, especially when the alternative might be another round of PlayStation 3. Thank you for the dance parties, Bluebee. I would recommend this product for children ages 3-5. My oldest son had an initial attraction to the product, but it was my youngest that was absolutely fascinated with it. I think this is a great way to motivate children to want to read, so anything that promotes early literacy interest/skills is a great product. You can use it for just playing music while the family joins in on the fun, or a more focused environment like a learning activity. I was really impressed with the Bluebee Pal. Great product!!