Math may be made easier by rhyming it

LONDON, Ontario, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Elementary schoolchildren across Canada are being encouraged to turn difficult math problems into dancing, singing or rhyming performance art.

Professor George Gadanidis of the University of Western Ontario in London created a Math Performance Festival Web site where children and teachers can post performances of mathematical problem-solving in creative ways before the school year ends at the end of June, the London Free Press reported Friday.

"We want to show that math is a creative thing. It's beautiful," Gadanidis told the newspaper. "We want to show that math can be discussed with family and friends as you would a good book or a movie."

With about 50 prizes up for grabs, children in Grades 4-6 can sculpt, paint, or write poems or skits that express a math idea, Gadanidis said.

The multi-lingual site is www.mathfest.ca.