British Educational Training and Technology Show
Calmer® Kids wins neurodiversity award - voted by children!
Who’s the best judge of a product aimed at kids? We think young people themselves and those who care for them, so, when Calmer® Kids, our in-ear product for children, was voted a winner by a judging panel of children, parents and teachers, we were delighted.
Flare® was awarded 'The best high impact product for neurodiversity' at BETT 2023 – the biggest education technology show in the world, which showcases impactful products and services across the education landscape.
The student led awards held at the event is organised by Katy Potts (Islington Council) in partnership with BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association). Pupils, parents and their teachers from across the UK came together at Bett 2023 on Friday 31st March to explore the stands and find their favourite products. Flare’s Calmer was voted a winner.
The results were announced by the students and acclaimed children’s author, poet and broadcaster Michael Rosen, with chocolate trophies presented to all the winners.
“To win a Kids Judge BETT Award means so much to us,” explains Flare Audio Co-Founder, Naomi Roberts. “It’s a wonderful idea and to be judged and awarded by the children is the ultimate recognition.
“School environments can be noisy and distracting places,” she continues. “We’re so happy to have developed a solution to offer relief for children who struggle with sound and help them manage the negative impacts of auditory overwhelm in learning environments. We were overwhelmed at BETT by the amount of support we had from pupils and industry professionals when they saw just how much Calmer Kids are helping children.”
Katy Potts, Computing and E-Safety Lead for Children's Services, Islington Council and Kids Judge Bett Founder described Calmer Kids as: “A high impact yet simple, innovative and low-cost use of technology, in the form of an earbud to support the common issue of sensory overload - providing accessibility for many.”
Flare came away winning the award for Best High Impact Product For Neurodiversity.
About Calmer
Calmer Kids is part of Flare’s ground-breaking in-ear range, Calmer® - a non-electric, non-isolating earbud that uses a special design to channel sound, gently reducing annoying noises to calm your environment and help with focus.
Made from soft silicone, Calmer Kids is a completely passive device (no charging required) that sits comfortably in the ears. Unlike ear defenders or plugs, Calmers don’t block sound, so don’t reduce a child’s awareness of their surroundings or isolate them, they simply calm the frequencies around them. Sounds are mellowed and their stress-inducing properties significantly reduced, enabling the wearer to feel calmer. They improve relaxation and concentration and reduce stress and irritable feelings.
What Parents, teachers and children say
Teachers
This has helped me so much as a preschool teacher, I have ADHD and anxiety but with these I can calmly react to the students! I feel like I’m able to hear better without so much extra noise happening all around me. I highly recommend these for teachers with noisy classrooms.
Lindsey R – Pre-school teacher
Great for instrument teachers
Calmer works great for me to reduce ear fatigue when teaching the saxophone. Most earplugs are too strong and inhibit communication, but the Calmer just takes the edge off, so at the end of a day it feels like I've given one lesson, not five.
Ben N - Saxophone Teacher
A must for teachers!
I have been using Calmer for around three years now. They are absolutely incredible; I cannot teach without them. An absolute must for primary teachers.
Lisa M – Teacher
Preschool Classroom Necessity
I've been using Calmer for about a year, and they're my everyday essential. I'm a preschool teacher, in a classroom with up to 20 children ages 3-6 years old five days a week. We once monitored the noise level just for fun, and it reached over 90 decibels. Calmer earbuds make SUCH a huge difference!
G.A – Pre-school teacher
Parents & Children
Sceptical 11yr now 100% convinced
Bought for my 11yr old son with ADHD who has always found noise in school a real issue. Son before use: 'They seem like an expensive piece of tiny plastic...'
Son after day 1 use: 'Great... I felt so much calmer in the corridor and could actually hear my drama teacher much clearer over all the noise of the class.'
Can't argue with that. We're sold. Love how discreet the translucent ones are for a child who hates to stand out.
K Ring – Calmer customer
Brilliant!
My son has ADHD and noise really bothers him. First time in years he's walked out of school smiling! Definitely recommend.
Claire A – Calmer Customer
Why didn’t I buy these before…
Bought these for my son who has just started secondary school and was struggling with the noise due to the amount of people... he says they really help and I have noticed a huge difference in him when he gets home.
Jenna E – Calmer Customer
Better than ear defenders.
My son who's 10 has ADHD and is due to go up to secondary school this year. He wanted an alternative to his ear defenders, something discreet. These are perfect. He says they are comfortable and, in his words, "better than ear defenders." Will definitely be purchasing more. Thank you!!
Kim G – Calmer Customer
Our 10-year-old has been complaining for some time about the high level of noise in her classroom each day. She was coming home from school feeling drained. I ordered her some of the Calmer kids and she’s feeling a lot happier. She has said it helps reduce the noise levels at school so she can concentrate and not feel overwhelmed.
Nicki W – Calmer Customer
OK so I was very sceptical about these working and how they work but I thought I'd buy them for my daughter who is in the process of being assessed for autism and has auditory issues. Wow, she uses these mostly in the dining hall and crowded corridors at school basically where it is overwhelming for her. She's noticed a massive difference, she can still hear what she needs to hear but these seem to filter out the annoying stuff that stresses her out. We like these as they draw less attention than ear defenders and she can still hear what she's supposed to, absolute game changer I've got a calmer happier girl now. If you’re thinking about these for an autistic child or adult with auditory issues it's a no brainer money well spent.
Louise – Calmer customer