Home School Curriculum with Big Tex

With education at the core of its foundation, the State Fair of Texas aims to provide quality educational opportunities for students within the community, both locally and statewide. In support of its student ticketing program, the Fair is expanding its educational initiatives to the classroom with a new innovative TEKS-aligned curriculum, created in partnership with Big Thought. The online curriculum combines the unique culture of the Fair with Texas history and agriculture, incorporating it into a TEKS-aligned program that focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects for grades 4 through 12.

Download curriculum resources here: 

https://bigtex.com/supporting-texans/education/

Big Thought's Creative Solutions 20th Anniversary Luncheon

The Creative Solutions 20th Anniversary Luncheon will celebrate the lives transformed through the Creative Solutions program and pay tribute to the men and women of the Dallas County Juvenile Department who have helped to make the program a success.

Hear how students in the program took one stroke of the brush, step of their feet and craft of their hands to channel their abilities to mastermind their own self-portraits. Creative Solutions: A Portrait of Potential 20th Anniversary Luncheon will inspire you as you listen to their stories and hear the powerful message of Jarrett Adams, co-founder of Life After Justice, share how he's utilized the struggles of his past to propel the outcome of his future.

Individual luncheon tickets are $125 per non-reserved seat and $250 per reserved seat. (If you purchase two reserved seats, you will receive a complimentary copy of the Creative Solutions: A Portrait of Potential book.) View sponsorship benefit package.

Purchase tickets here

Honorary Chair

Mrs. Laura Bush

CO-CHAIRS

Giles Davidson, Irene Hosford, Ginger Sager

ADVISORS

Bev Heil and Jay Oppenheimer

HOST COMMITTEE

CREW-Dallas (Brenda Blake, Sharon Herrin, Coni Hennersdorf, Michelle Hudson, Judy Willoughby), Laurie B. Arnold, Flauren Fagadau Bender, Maura and Jason Bradshaw, Scott and Jennifer Chandler, Giles Davidson and Dan Waldmann, Bess and Ted Enloe, Leigh Anne Haugh, Terry and Beverly Heil, Marguerite Hoffman, Irene Hosford and Robert McLaughlin, Jolie and Bart Humphrey, Sarah Losinger, Jerry McNabb, Barry and Melissa McNeil, Jay W. Oppenheimer, Elissa Plotsky/Freedom Title, Carol and Frank Riddick, Wilbur and Martha Smither, Pam Watkins and Mike Crawford, Jane Wetzel, Mary Lou and Larry Whitt

Works of HeART 2014

Works of Heart | Art Exhibit & Silent Auction

The pieces of artwork are exclusively made by the creative minds behind one of the most popular and innovative American brands - Fossil.

 

For months, Fossil Group designers and employees work on creating original pieces, including paintings, drawings, jewelry and more, which will be auctioned off at the event. Proceeds from the silent auction and ticket sales support Big Thought's programs.

Join Big Thought on December 12 at Three Three Three First Avenue

to appreciate and bid on these unique Works of HeART.

Buy Tickets!

Pre-sale tickets: $10 (until Dec. 8)

Tickets at the door: $15
Admission is free for children ages 12 and under.

See photos from last year.

Ticket price includes drinks, light bites by Sissy's Southern Kitchen and free valet.

DaVerse Lounge: A Place for Youth to Express Themselves

Youth need a place to say what they think and express who they are. Youth need a welcoming community of adults and peers that celebrate their uniqueness, and encourage purposeful, clear thinking and expression.

 

DaVerse Works, a project of Big Thought, is a spoken word performance and youth development program for middle and high school students that provides a safe haven for self-expression. The program integrates a formal curriculum—that teaches critical literacy skills through spoken word and poetry—with open-mic showcases for teens and young adults.

 

Led by DaVerse Lounge founder, Will Richey, creative arts educators who specialize in spoken word have developed the DaVerse Works curriculum, and train educators and other teaching artists on how to effectively deliver the poetry curriculum to teens. DaVerse participants, ranging in age from 12-18 years old, take part in poetry clubs or workshops where they develop pieces that can earn them a performance spot at DaVerse Lounge events.

 

Each DaVerse Lounge combines open-mic spoken word with a house band that improvises behind the young poets. The event also features interactive art stations from local visual artists, DJ demonstrations, and other hands-on creative activities.

 

Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look at DaVerse Lounge. You can also join DaVerse virtual online community on Facebook.

DaVerse Lounge Schedule

November 7, 2014
December 5, 2014
February 6, 2015
April 10, 2015

7:00 - 10:00 PM

Life in Deep Ellum, 2803 Taylor St., Dallas

Shows are free and open to the public. For more information, call (469) 916-9809

Download the flyer here

Big Thought Big Day Kick-off Party Held March 1st at The Warehouse

Hosted by Husch Blackwell, the Big Thought Big Day Kick-off Party was held Saturday, March 1, 2014, at The Warehouse. Guests enjoyed a preview of the new gallery collection, Room by Room: Monographic Presentations from the Faulconer and Rachofsky Collections, now on display for public viewing. Valet was provided by Mary Kay.

Big Day event co-chairs Nikki and Crayton Webb (of Mary Kay)

 The Big Thought Big Day is not one, but actually two days of big fun (and learning!). On April 26-27, Big Thought’s Big Day will provide more than 2,000 Dallas ISD students enrolled in the Thriving Minds After-School program and their family members free tickets to enjoy the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Big Day is presented by Dallas nonprofit Big Thought, which supports after-school creative and arts education programming for elementary- and middle-school students across Dallas.

Carolyn Anderson, Alfreda Norman, Irene Hosford (of sponsoring company Husch Blackwell), Anita Tarar and Jason Railsback

The event honorary co-chair family is the Marilyn and Leo Corrigan, Jr. Family. Event planning co-chairs are Jennifer and Scott Chandler, Kate and Matthew Flume, Christa and Ketric Sanford, and Nikki and Crayton Webb.

Scott McKenzie and Buff LaGrange

 

Instrument Drive this Saturday!

Big Thought's 25th Anniversary Gala

Big Thought will kick off its 25th anniversary year with a gala celebration at The Adolphus Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 11th at 7:00 p.m. The evening will feature a seated dinner, entertainment and dancing. Organizers anticipate more than 250 guests will attend the celebration.

Founded in 1987 as Young Audiences of North Texas by Mitch Jericho and Edith O’Donnell, Big Thought has grown from a small arts agency to an organization focused on providing creative learning opportunities to hundreds of thousands of children and families each year.

Key programs include Thriving Minds, Creative Solutions, Library Live, SLANT: Service Learning Adventures in North Texas, and Young Audiences. Big Thought – working in partnership with the City of Dallas, Dallas ISD and hundreds of Dallas youth, cultural and educational organizations – serves more than 300,000 children, teens and families every year.

The evening will honor Big Thought co-founders Mitch Jericho and Edith O’Donnell and pay tribute to IBM and the Corrigan family, recipients of the 2012 Founders Award.

Contact: info@bigthought.org / http://www.bigthought.org/

Food for Thought

Food for Thought is an annual celebrity chef charity event presented by The Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and It’s a Cooking Party. Proceeds benefit Big Thought, a creative learning organization striving to make imagination a part of everyday learning for children. Big Thought’s overall goal is simple: to make imagination a part of everyday learning. In supporting Big Thought, we are helping give children access to creative instruction and hands-on learning during school hours and beyond, all year long.

Saturday, August 6, 2011
7:00 to 11:00 pm
The Tower Club
Thanksgiving Tower – 48th Floor
Cocktail Attire

Celebrity Chefs include: Tiffany Derry, former Top Chef contestant; Lisa Garza, Taste Studio and former Next Food Network Star contestant; Brian Luscher, The Grape; Samir Dhurandhar, Coal Vines and Nick & Sam's; John Tesar, The Commissary; and more!

Each year the Food for Thought steering committee honors a local civic leader with the Gavel of Excellence for significant contributions of service to our community. Prior Gavel of Excellence award winners include Jim Keyes, the CEO of Blockbuster, Inc., and Ebby Halliday. This year's Gavel of Excellence Winner is Daryl "Moose" Johnston, NFL on FOX Game Analyst, former Dallas Cowboys fullback, and Chair of SLANT 45.

Click here to purchase tickets

Chase Supports Dallas Educational Institutions

Last Wednesday, July 20, it was announced that Chase was presenting two prominent Dallas educational institutions – one that focuses on science and math education, the other on creative learning in schools and neighborhoods – with $1.4 million in gifts that will make learning fun, stimulating and interactive for thousands of Dallas-area children.

Chase is donating $400,000 to help fund Big Thought’s Thriving Minds summer camp and after-school programs for elementary and middle-school students. Chase also is contributing $1 million in support of the Bio Lab and related educational programming in the Being Human Hall, which will be part of the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science currently under construction in Dallas’ Victory Park.

On hand to make the announcement and to salute the “community hero” wielding the big gifts were representatives from Big Thought and the Perot Museum of Nature & Science. Also offering their thanks were Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins and Jane Didear, the partnerships coordinator in Dallas ISD’s community relations/communication services department.

Bill Bogart of Chase presents the check to Margie Reese, Vice President of Programs at Big Thought and Nicole G. Small, CEO of the Museum of Nature & Science. Photo by Jason Janik

Big Thought’s Thriving Minds middle-school camp is a full-day program currently operating at Fair Park and select Dallas ISD schools for four weeks in July. The camp – presented in partnership with Dallas ISD, the City of Dallas and dozens of community partners – involves nearly 2,000 sixth-through-eighth grade students. Chase’s gift to Big Thought will support the expansion of leading-edge programming to be implemented during the school year at several Dallas ISD schools located in South Dallas and the surrounding Fair Park neighborhoods.

Chase’s other gift will support the Bio Lab, which is part of the Being Human Hall and one of 11 halls of Chase contributes $1.4 million to Big Thought and Perot Museum of Nature & Science – the new 180,000-square-foot Perot Museum. Approximately 1,330 square feet, the lab will offer specific curriculum-based programs for school groups and public use. The Hall will examine the human body and human condition through the lenses of biology, technology and culture. The $1 million gift to the Perot Museum includes support for curriculum development and delivery as well as supplies for the Bio Lab programs, which will directly tie into the TEKS standards for math and science. Museum officials project that more than 40,000 students will participate in Bio Lab Programs each year, including those from Community Renaissance Neighborhood (CRN) areas, specifically in South Dallas and Fair Park. The Perot Museum is projected to open in early 2013.

Mayor's Passport to Health Family FunFest

Families from across the greater Dallas area are invited

to join Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Mrs. Laura Leppert

for a day of fun, fitness and good health at the

Mayor’s Passport to Health Family FunFest

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

on the grassy field of Dallas’ historic Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.

Free admission. Concessions available for purchase.

Parking is $10 or ride DART's Green Line.

Enjoy these free family-friendly activities:

• health and dental screenings for families
• obstacle course
• art and movement exercises
• face painting
• games & energizing entertainment
• one-mile fun walk
• live music & dance floor
• healthy food giveaways
• cooking demos
• nutrition education sessions
• and more!

Founded in 2008 by Mayor Leppert and his wife Laura, the mission of Passport to Health is to reduce the effects of diabetes in the Dallas community through education, awareness, prevention and proper care management.

Contact: Nancy Webb - 469-916-9821 / nwebb@bigthought.org

Texas Imagination Conversation

The Texas Imagination Conversation

October 14, 2010

8:00 am - 2:00 pm

AT&T Performing Arts Center
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre

Join your fellow leaders from across the state to discuss the importance of imagination to the futures of science, medicine, technology, business, education, arts, public policy, military and more.

8:00 am Welcome and Breakfast at The Wyly Theatre

8:30-10:00 am Moderated panel presentation

10:15 am Break-out sessions

12:00 noon Lunch and keynote at Winspear Opera House

The Texas Imagination Conversation is part of the Imagination Conversation initiative -- 50 imagination conversations in 50 states -- launched by Lincoln Center Institute to mark its 50th Anniversary. These events gather leaders and innovators from all walks of life to reflect on how imagination shapes the work they do. The goal is to inspire others to live, learn and teach with a passionate appreciation for the power of imagination.

Hosted by: Big Thought
For more information or to reserve your seat,
contact adrianna.cota@bigthought.org or 469-621-8961

The Limelight: Slant 45

What is SLANT 45?
Service Learning Adventures in North Texas

The organization was formed by The North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee and Big Thought. It is a youth education program that works with school districts throughout the region to reward its young participants. SLANT 45 was named after an actual football play used by Daryl Johnston and Emmitt Smith for the Dallas Cowboys.

Dedicated to making imagination a part of everyday learning, Big Thought is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations focused on improving public education through creative learning. The combination of Big Thought’s credibility and the Super Bowl’s appeal create a winning team.
From now through December 2010, in one of the largest communitywide service-learning projects in U.S. history, an estimated 20,000 elementary-age students will log a combined 45,000 hours of service across North Texas. These youngsters, representing all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and every corner of North Texas, will undertake projects large and small. Some will assist those in need or beautify neighborhoods. Others might stage a play for fundraising purposes. A few may even undertake the development of a mural project simply because it lifts the spirit.

Area school districts and private school systems are being enlisted to recruit groups of students and volunteers in communities across North Texas to participate in SLANT 45. Examples of these groups include neighborhood associations, church groups, classrooms and school clubs, PTAs, community-based organizations, scout troops, youth athletic teams and corporate groups.

Big Thought supports the program with materials to ensure that life skills are realized as learning outcomes within individual service-learning projects. Tools include workbooks, thought-starters for idea generation, key questionnaires, etc., for the children and adult project leaders of individual service projects.

After the hard work has been completed, it will be time to celebrate! The children who brought these unique projects to life will be invited to a special event in January 2011. More than 20,000 children and their adult leaders will join Big Thought and the Host Committee at a private event where they will be congratulated for their accomplishments and celebrated for their commitment to their community.

To learn more about the concept of service learning and how you can get involved with SLANT, visit http://www.slant45.org/

Food for Thought

If you are in the mood for some amazing food created by extremely talented chefs such as Tre Wilcox, Lisa Garza, Blythe Beck and many more, stop by the Tower Club on Saturday, July 10th, 2010 from 7 to 11 p.m.

The Dallas Associates of Young Lawyers is putting on this fundraiser, which will be benefitting Big Thought, who's main mission is to make imagination a part of everyday learning.

A silent auction, open bar, live entertainment and honoring Ebby Halliday, the winner of the Gavel of Excellence for Promoting Education sounds like an extremely fun night in Dallas.

For more information, please contact: http://www.foodforthoughtdallas.com/ or call Mark Melton at 214.979.2952 or Brian Garlitz at 214.736.7171