The Pokémon GO craze hit the Downers Grove area hard this summer, and the Belonio boys were no exception. Their dad, District 58 Art Teacher Jon Belonio, would embark on Pokémon GO adventures with his sons, and he observed the mechanics of the game and their impact on his sons.
"The boys would inform me about each Pokémon, what their abilities are, and what they evolve into after collecting certain amounts," Belonio said. "So, of course, 'Teacher Mode' kicks in, and I start figuring out how I can incorporate the same idea in our schools. I figured if kids can remember the names of hundreds of Pokémon, they can DEFINITELY remember the names of artists and art concepts in school. I thought this would be a fun and motivating way of learning."
So, PokéArt GO began. The concept is simple yet incredibly alluring, especially for the many Pokémon GO whizzes who inhabit District 58 schools. Belonio drew Pokémon hidden inside famous works of art, such as Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Can.” All featured artworks are part of the District 58 art curriculum. Thanks to a suggestion from Instructional Coach Kristen Ward, Belonio embedded educational QR codes into each drawing.
Belonio added a fun slogan for the game -- "Gotta Learn About ‘Em All"-- and promoted the game on his classroom website. He hid the PokéArt throughout his four schools, and fellow art teacher Lizz Lukes also added some to her schools. When school started, kids were already excited and ready to go hunting PokéArt!
District 58 asked some Hillcrest fifth graders their thoughts about PokéArt in Mr. Belonio’s art class. Here’s what they had to say:
| “PokéArt is awesome. The art is really fun. I’m a new kid at Hillcrest, and this is the first time I’ve ever taken an art class, and it’s been very fun so far.” - Malcolm |
“Before school started, I saw some of the famous drawings with the Pokémon hidden inside, and it looked really cool. There’s one right by the water fountain that I like a lot.” - Caitlin |
“Pokémon GO gets people out of their house and exercise. PokéArt is similar because Pokémon are hidden in artworks and around our school. I really like looking for them.” - Toby (first student who caught all PokéArt) |
“PokéArt is a very creative and unique idea. I’m really liking it.” - Sofia |
“I like Pokémon GO and I collect Pokémon cards, so I was really excited to hear that Mr. Belonio hid Pokémon in art pieces, and created an art version of Pokémon GO.” - Christopher |