Special Needs Children Create Their Own Path to Learning Thanks to Captivating Bluebee Pals!

Parental Anecdotes Pour In Including How Sammy The Bear Showed
Non-Verbal Autistic Boy To Be Eager To Learn

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#assistivetech–Facebook fans are used to clicking on the day’s entries and finding a
heartwarming story that makes the reader go “ahhhh” and then share with
friends. One toy company is having the same reaction for a wonderfully
unexpected reason. Testimonials are pouring in from special education
professionals and special needs parents about Bluebee Pals. The plush
animals that “talk” via a built-in Bluetooth connection are opening a
window to youngsters who struggle to learn.

“We just started working with Bluebee in our classroom and the students
instantly responded positively. I have several students in my class that
use an AAC device to speak. When introducing the Bluebee, I explained
that he also needed a device to speak, just like many of us,” wrote in
Jessica Carter, an ESE instructor at Princeton House Charter School. “As
a teacher of students with ASD, I am excited to discover new ways to
incorporate this wonderful resource to help with all aspects of
academics and building confidence with social skills.”

The plush learning tool comes in the form of five personalities
including Leo the Lion, Riley the Zebra and Hudson the
Puppy. Each soft animal moves its mouth as it talks, sings and reads
to a child. Their user friendly technology allows for a simple
connection to any Bluetooth enabled phone, tablet or laptop from Apple
to Android and pairs to any app. The collection is called Bluebee
Pals ($64.99). Prop up a laptop, tablet or smart phone onto their
laps and tuck into their plush arms. Then watch the magic begin!

“A good friend of mine has a daughter with Rett Syndrome,” emailed
Theresa Bennett, M.Ed. “She bought her a Bluebee and her daughter loved
it! Being a special education teacher, I was excited to have something
new for my students. My students are non-verbal and love the iPad and
interactive board in the classroom. It is so easy to set up Bluebee with
different types of technology. They focus and attend more having the
plush animal mouthing stories and singing songs!”

Parent company Kayle Concepts introduced the educational plush
companions two years ago. Now thousands have been adopted into
households, schools and therapy sessions. The enchanting learning tool
offers so many benefits – auditory attention and processing, cause &
effect, pre-literacy skills and more. The toy industry has taken notice
and to date has distributed over a half-dozen awards including Mom’s
Choice, National Parenting Publications, Parent’s Choice,
Creative Child Award, Academic Choice and Tillywig.
Most recently, Teachers’ Choice Awards, which honors products of
exceptional quality and outstanding performance in the classroom and at
home, gave Bluebee Pals its 2017 Teachers’ Choice Award.

As their website, www.BluebeePals.com,
confirms, “teachers, parents and therapists are experiencing the impact
of using Bluebee Pals as educational tools. Feedback from hundreds of
special needs educators said our ‘talking tech buddies’ encourages
communication, language use, attentiveness, sensory processing, and
positive behaviors.”

One such poignant anecdote was widely seen on Autism Speaks blog,
titled, How A Plush Bear Named Sammy Made My Son Eager To Learn.

I synced the Bluebee Pal to my iPad and started listening to The
Three Little Pigs and The Little Engine That Could.
Aiden is very leery of plush animals so I was very shocked when he sat
beside me while I was listening to Sammy the Bear. I asked him what
story he wanted to hear and we went from there.

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!

With uplifting stories like Aiden’s, it’s easy to see why The Bluebee
Pals Project is an exciting educational program created by founder Laura
Jiencke of Kayle Concepts.

“I envisioned the idea of placing Bluebee Pals,” explains Jiencke, “into
the hands of therapists, educators and families of special needs
children and sharing their testimonials with my Bluebee Pal Community. I
am proud to report that we have donated hundreds of our huggable plush
educational toys to special needs groups and families in order to
collect data and feedback on the positive effects of using Bluebee Pals
as a learning tool.”

Helen Wagner’s Children’s Speech Therapy Class in Aniston, Alabama; Dr.
Howard Shane, PhD, CCC-SLP of the Autism Language Program at Boston
Children’s Hospital and QSAC, New York City and Long Island’s Quality
Services for the Autism Community, are just three of the special
partnerships utilizing the donated plush pals.

First hand testimonials, photographs and videos of the amazing effect
children experience interacting with their Bluebee Pal can be seen at https://bluebeepals.com/bluebee-pals-project-participants/

“I used our Bluebee Pals along with your stories and the kids went
crazy,” gushed Helen H. Wagner, M.S., CCC-SLP. “They loved reading along
with Lion, Bear, Zebra and Sheep! I noticed increased active engagement
during our lesson! This translated to improved retell skills and
improved memory for main idea and comprehension of important story
facts. The REAL joy of the lessons was when the students recorded and
retold the story, in sequence! The Bluebee Pals were talking in THEIR
voices!!!! They were sooooo excited! Oh! How they love recording and
listening to themselves!!! They were eager to email their own recorded
narratives to our speech room, their teacher and their parents!”

Every Bluebee Pal boasts a variety of features including an embedded
Bluetooth enabled speaker that connects to any iOS or Android device
with Bluetooth capabilities (phones, tablets, and laptops). Each talking
interactive plush can be used as a hands free telephone with built in
speaker and microphone! A rechargeable battery with USB Micro-charge
cable is included with every purchase.

Bluebee Pals website offers tips on homeschooling, lesson plans and
links to videos.

Be sure to sign up for their informative newsletter at www.BluebeePals.com.

ABOUT KAYLE CONCEPTS

With over 25 years of marketing, sales and operations expertise, Laura
Jiencke, president of Kayle Concepts, was noticing a trend. Instead of
daydreaming with a stuffed animal, a child’s playtime was being replaced
by tech toys, tablets, smart phones and learning devices. Could the
notion of inseparable, cuddly plush already be an obsolete concept? She
dreamed of combining traditional plush toys with state-of-the-art
technology that could utilize online digital content. Then kids would be
entertained while developing lifelong learning skills. In 2014, Bluebee
Pals was launched using Bluetooth® technology. The plush animals with
the moving mouths have been refreshed in time for Holiday 2016 giving.
Discover the interactive talking pals at www.bluebeepals.com.

Contacts

TechStuff Public Relations
Lisa Orman, 608-767-1102
Lisa@TechStuffPR.com