How to Use White Noise
How to Use White Noise
White noise is: A sound containing a blend of all the audible frequencies distributed equally over the range of the frequency band. White noise is analogous to white light which contains all the colors of the rainbow together. The term "white noise" as used in this article will be applied a little looser to include a host of sounds (waterfall, rain and brook as examples) used for blocking out unwanted sounds.Because white noise contains most sound frequencies, it is commonly used to mask other sounds. If you are in a hotel and voices from the room next-door are leaking into your room, you might turn on a fan to drown out the voices. The fan produces a good approximation of white noise. How does this "white" sound work and why does it mask out other noise?Here is one way to think about it. Let's say two people are talking at the same time. Your brain can normally pick out one of the two voices and actually listen to it and understand it. If three people are talking simultaneously, your brain can probably still pick out one voice. However, if 1,000 people are talking simultaneously, there is no way that your brain can pick out one voice. It turns out that 1,000 people talking together sounds a lot like white noise. So when you turn on a fan to create white noise, you are essentially creating a source of 1,000 voices. The voice next-door makes it 1,001 voices, and your brain can't pick it out anymore. One thing to keep in mind when using white noise is that more is not always better - it is usually best to use just enough to help mask the offending noise, not completely overwhelm it.There are three sources of white noise that are commonly used to help mask out annoying sounds: mechanically generated, electronically generated and recordings usually on CD format.The mechanical devices produce a sound very close to that of a fan. The Sleepmate by Marpac is this type of device and has been around for a long time. This is the most popular type of white noise machine; probably because it produces a sound that we are all familiar with and don't find unpleasant. One drawback of the mechanical units is that they are limited in volume. Since they produce the sound mechanically, it isn't possible to simply turn up the volume.White noise is commonly generated with a digital or electronic sound synthesizing device. Sound designers, with some processing and filtering, can create a multitude of effects such as wind, rain, waterfall or surf. The main consideration when choosing a digital device is if the device loops a recorded clip of sound or synthesizes its own sound. By looping we refer to a few seconds of sound that is digitally recorded and played over and over. They try to match up the end with the beginning but if you listen carefully you can detect where the segment begins - this is irritating to some people. The better digital sound devices actually synthesize the sound instead of playing a recording, therefore no looping.Compact discs are a popular and inexpensive way (not counting the cost of a stereo system) to bring white noise into your home or office. You can get almost any sound imaginable but the most commonly used are nature sounds like rain, thunder or babbling brooks and nature sounds overlaid with soft music. The advantages of CDs are a high quality sound and low cost. The disadvantage is that, if you are using the sound to help you sleep, the interruption when changing tracks or cycling will often times wake you up. Generally the best uses for CDs are for office privacy, meditation or just relaxing.Michael Kirtley is owner-manager of Nature's Tapestry ( http://www.naturestapestry.com ), a site with information about how to choose a white noise machine.
Reading Activities Parents Can Use For Their Children
Reading Activities Parents Can Use For Their Children
Using 14 "at" Flashcards To Teach Reading:This exercise helps your child increase the speed with which she reads the words she has a grip on so far. Write each of the words flat, chat, brat, spat, splat, and drat on a separate index card.Add these new flashcards to the eight flashcards you made before (bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat and sat) so you have a set of 14. You can use the dialogue in bold text when following these steps with your child:1. Spread the cards face down on the table.2. Turn them over one at a time and read them to me.3. Turn them back over and jumble them up. Can you still read them to me?4. Walk around the room and see if you can still read them to me.In step 4 your child can do whatever action you like - jump up and down ten times, knock on the front door, have 20 swings on the swing - remember your options are open to any activity that makes it fun and challenging for your child.Buying Reading Flashcards For Your Child:After you've practiced with a few homemade flashcards and your child has the hang of them, move on to commercial flashcards. You can buy whole packs of flashcards in school supply stores and many bookstores.Most of these flashcards have a word on one side and a corresponding picture on the other, so you read hat and turn the card over to see a picture of a hat. You can use these cards easily and effectively, if you know how.Start with commercial flashcards by selecting from the pack only words you need, the ones you have already had some practice with. Right now, you'd select from the pack focusing only on the short "a" words. Have your child read a word and then turn over the card to check his reading against the pictures.Making Flashcards Of Words:Your child has had a lot of practice with "at" words, so now he needs a set of flashcards. Write each of the at words on a separate index card (bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, and sat) and encourage your child to read his cards to family members and friends.If your child likes to write, let him write his own cards. Many children prefer an adult to write the cards for them because adults do a neater job, but if your child makes his own cards, he feels even more proud of them.Use flashcards for practicing skills, but flashcard games and drills should augment, not replace your one on one instruction.Building "at" Into Words Like "flat":To help consolidate your child's understanding of sound chunks, ask him to make bigger "at" words by adding more letters to "at", including blends like "fl" and partners like "ch".You help your child make the six words flat, chat, brat, spat, splat and drat in this exercise. Before beginning, try the strategy of presenting her with a challenge that you know she can accomplish. Tell your child you have a challenge you're not sure she's up to.Preparation: Have "at" written on one whole index card. Cut three other index cards inhalf. On each of the six halves, write one of these six pairs of letter: fl, ch, br, sp, spl, and dr. In this exercise, your child makes the words flat, chat, brat, spat, splat, and drat. Use the direct dialogue given in bold text as a guide.1. Put "at" down in front of you.2. Spread the other cards around "at".3. Choose a card and slide it over to the front of "at".4. Say "What word have you made?"5. Repeat steps 3-4 with the remaining letters.Children reading resources for parents
How To Use Diet To Reduce Your Stress – Stress-Management
How To Use Diet To Reduce Your Stress
The Problem
You don't need me to tell you how pervasive stress is in our modern lives. In part, this is due to our chosen life styles. One element of our life styles that is likely to be making matters worse, is our diet, by which I mean, what we eat.You see, when we are under pressure, we tend to save time by eating food that actually increases our stress and may fuel an addiction to stress.Now before you turn off in disgust, thinking that this is an entirely negative article about what is bad for you, let me assure you that some changes to your diet can be achieved very easily with a little thought and that I am not advocating wholesale changes in your life styles, though this would possibly be the best way to defeat stress.It is not impossible that you are reading this article out of sheer curiosity, or that you suffer from stress although your diet is of the kind that I would recommend (for diet is not the only factor in reducing stress). Accordingly, I suggest we do a simple test to see if what I am going to tell you could benefit you directly if you took my advice. Just answer these questions:1. Do you frequently or continuously complain of any of the following?? Tiredness? Fatigue? Exhaustion? Lethargy? Apathy? Poor concentration? Lack of motivationIf the answer is yes, you almost certainly need the advice contained in this article.2. Do you seek relief from the worst effects of stress and regain energy by:? Eating sugary foods?? Drinking coffee or tea?? Smoking a cigarette?? Burying yourself in a high-powered job?? Indulging in an exhilarating sport or pastime?If the answer is yes, you are probably addicted to stress, and the advice in this article is essential for you.Let us first of all set the scene.Stress Chemistry
Whenever we perceive a situation that needs urgent and immediate action, our adrenal glands begin to make adrenalin. Almost immediately, our heart is pounding, our muscles tense, our eyes dilate, our breathing changes, our blood thickens and glucose is pumped into it: so much glucose that we could run a mile, though this might be overkill if the cause of our stress is an unwanted telephone call, a traffic jam, or kids fighting on the back seat.The glucose is produced by breaking down the glycogen that is contained in our muscles and liver. Getting it from our blood to our bodies is achieved by hormones, produced by the pancreas. These are insulin and glucagon. The insulin, with another chemical, this time from the liver, facilitates the movement to the cells of the body, whilst glucagon is used to top up the blood sugar levels if these fall too low.You will realise that this process of equipping us for fight of flight is expensive of energy. We might wonder where the extra energy comes from, especially if we were feeling tired immediately before the event that we are now reacting to.The answer is that energy is diverted from the body's normal functions of maintenance and repair. Thus, so long as we are feeling stressed, our digestion, rejuvenation and cleansing functions are turned off. No wonder people who are continuously stressed look old before their time.But things are even worse than this for people who suffer from chronic stress. Consider the unnecessary aging involved in the process if the pituitary, the adrenals, the pancreas and the liver pump out chemicals continuously to control blood sugar that we don't need. In short, the process wears us and our bodies out.The Blood Sugar Saga
Worn out by the process described above, our energy is sapped. We lose concentration, become easily confused, make silly mistakes, fall asleep after lunch, become irritable, find it hard to sleep at night, don't want to wake in the morning, sweat more than normal, and/or suffer from headaches. Does this ring any bells with you?This is where most people turn to stimulants to help them regain energy and control. Typically, these will include tea, coffee, cola drinks, chocolate, cigarettes, horror films, retail therapy and such extreme activities as free-fall parachuting and bungee jumping. Those who are not fussy about keeping within the law may seek their buzz from amphetamines, crack, cocaine, or crime.The use of stimulants to regain energy tends to lead to a demand for relaxants, such as alcohol, sleeping pills, tranquillisers and cannabis.It will not surprise you to learn that no-one can live like this for long without experiencing burn-out. This is why holidays are so popular. But packing and travelling can be extremely stressful too. Moreover, the typical holidaymaker will choose to read a steamy or gripping paperback novel while waiting for the plane or while lying on the beach. Stress is never far away.If the holidaymaker is truly addicted to stress, he or she will soon crave some excitement. Lying on the beach is not enough to provide the buzz that is needed. Water skiing or wind surfing may meet the need.If you have ever found that you become ill or feel completely exhausted whenever you take time off from work, it is likely that you are already addicted to stress.The Formula for Balance
In order to maximise your energy resources and avoid burning out, follow these guidelines.? Eat slow-releasing carbohydrates (such as fruit and nuts), but not fast-releasing carbohydrates (such as sugar, white bread, foods containing sugar).? Check that you are taking in all essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals (eat plenty of fruit, nuts and vegetables).? Avoid taking stimulants (e.g. coffee and tea) and depressants (e.g. alcohol.This doesn't mean that you can never break these rules ? unstressed people can safely eat chocolate and drink wine, in moderation - but if you are addicted to stress or just badly stressed you break the rules at your peril.When you keep to these rules, you will find that you are better able to face stressful events. This is because you have given yourself a consistent supply of energy. Adopting this approach both helps to break the cycle of energy-consuming behaviour (the blood sugar saga) and creates energy to overcome the mental habits that result in our reaction to stress in the first place.Warning
If you give up tea and coffee and other stimulants, sugar and chocolate, and you begin to suffer headaches, loss of concentration, tiredness or nausea, this is evidence enough of addiction. You are suffering withdrawal symptoms. Stick to your plan and these unpleasant side effects will pass. What's more, you will feel a whole lot better when they do than you did before you stopped taking the stimulants.Use this article for your training, website, or newsletter.Written by and Copyright