BOLBORETA INNOVA GROUP / OUR PURPOSE / BOLBORETA IMPACTA / Building a Dream Together with the Ronald McDonald House

Construir un Sueño:
Science and Hope for Children in Vulnerable Situations

Building a Dream Together with the Ronald McDonald House

Science, Play, and Hope for Children in Vulnerable Situations

Collaborators

Ronald McDonald House Spain

Focus areas

IMPACT: Education

Area of focus

Ronald McDonald House Madrid

Tools

Story Surcar un sueño

Beneficiaries

Children and adolescents aged 6 to 18, pediatric oncology patients

Sustainable Development Goals

A project by Bolboreta Innova Group and Ronald McDonald House

CONTEXT

A meeting point between education, science, and emotional care

The Ronald McDonald House trabaja para mejorar la calidad de vida de niños con enfermedades graves y sus familias, ofreciendo: un hogar fuera del hogar. A través de sus Casas y programas, crea entornos acogedores donde las familias permanecen unidas durante el tratamiento, reduciendo el impacto emocional, económico y social de la enfermedad.

Its mission is also to humanize the medical experience, offering comprehensive support and spaces where children can continue to be children—even under challenging circumstances.

Bolboreta Innova, through its initiative Bolboreta Impacta, promotes education as a driver of social change, bringing science, creativity, and innovation closer to communities through meaningful experiences that awaken talent and critical thinking, especially among vulnerable groups.

The collaboration between both organizations responds to a key need: integrating experiential education and emotional support in contexts where learning becomes a truly transformative tool.

THE PROJECT

An educational experience that turns a story into real-life learning

Construir un Sueño (Building a Dream) is an experiential education activity based on the story Surcar un Sueño, which tells the story of Cairo and his ability to overcome adversity.

Over the course of 90 minutes, children take part in a workshop at the Ronald McDonald House in Madrid where, working in teams, they design and build their own flying toy while experimenting with basic principles of science and innovation. Throughout the process, they develop curiosity, creativity, and observation skills, while learning to solve problems and understanding that making mistakes is an essential part of learning.

The experience is designed not only to foster educational skills, but also to create a positive emotional impact: it strengthens self-esteem, encourages perseverance, and helps transform fears and uncertainty into achievable challenges. In this way, the project turns learning into a tool for well-being, creating positive memories and restoring children’s confidence, motivation, and sense of agency.

THE PROJECT IN IMAGES

Beneficiaries

Children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses, primarily cancer

Building a Dream is aimed at children in vulnerable situations who, due to serious illnesses, stay with their families at the Ronald McDonald House in Madrid.

Many of them go through long and complex processes that affect their emotional well-being and development. In this context, the activity offers a space to play, learn, and connect—where they can feel empowered, share with other children, and enjoy a positive experience removed, even briefly, from the hospital environment.

Children who need more than care—they need to keep being children..

THE PROTAGONISTS

Made possible by

Lara Torres

Illustrator and creator of the visual universe of Surcar un Sueño. She brings sensitivity and visual storytelling to Cairo’s story, strengthening emotional connection and enhancing children’s ability to imagine, understand, and create.

Bolboreta Innova Group

Publisher of Surcar un Sueño and responsible for adapting the Building a Dream activity and its methodology (inspired by models such as the Margarita Salas Foundation). The group drives and develops the initiative as a high-impact educational experience, bringing it to schools and social organizations while ensuring coherence, quality, and measurable impact.

Ronald McDonald House

A key facilitator of the project, hosting the activity at the Ronald McDonald House in Madrid and providing the appropriate environment and support. Deeply committed to the well-being of children and families, the Foundation actively seeks initiatives with therapeutic and educational value, carefully adapting them to beneficiaries’ specific needs to ensure real, lasting impact.

HOW WE DID IT

90 minutes to imagine, create, and believe again

A methodology that turns learning into a meaningful experience

The design of Building a Dream is based on an educational approach that combines experiential learning, STEAM methodology, and Design Thinking principles, adapted to a particularly sensitive context.

The activity aims not only to transmit knowledge, but to create a holistic experience where children learn by doing, exploring, and sharing.

The methodology focuses on the process rather than the outcome, fostering a safe environment where experimenting, making mistakes, and trying again are a natural part of learning. This encourages critical thinking, creativity, and confidence, reinforcing the idea that every participant has the ability to imagine, create, and overcome challenges.

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Methodology: Design Thinking, Story-Based Learning, and Science-Based Toys

Age: 8 to 18 years

Format: Cooperative teams of 4-5 children

The experience, step by step:
Building a Dream unfolds as a six-stage journey. Each phase has its own purpose, emotion, and learning outcome, but together they achieve something essential: helping children discover science as a shared, accessible, and exciting experience.

Cairo's Dream / 15 minutes

It all starts with a story. The facilitators read Surcar un sueño —or selected excerpts—and children immerse themselves in Cairo’s world: a thoughtful pig who dreams of flying while others laugh at him

This stage focuses on emotional connection and empathy. Through guided questions, facilitators bridge storytelling and science: Why does Cairo want to fly? How does he feel when he fails? What does he do instead of giving up? And most importantly—have you ever had a dream that felt difficult?

Cairo’s Challenge / 10 minutes

It’s time to move from story to action. The challenge is clearly defined: “Help Cairo build a toy that allows him to glide or fly.” A set of simple, well‑defined rules follows: using only three or four materials, participants must design and build a toy based on real physical principles such as balance, weight, and even aerodynamics.

Throughout this phase, children are encouraged to test and refine their creations. Just like Cairo, their first attempt may not work—and that’s part of the process. Failure is not a reason to give up, but an invitation to learn and improve.

The experimentation is guided by key questions posed by the facilitators, prompting reflection and critical thinking: What do we want our toy to do? What do we think it needs in order to fly?

Thinking Like Inventors Cairo / 15 minutes

With materials laid out on the table—paper, straws, modeling clay, feathers, small stones for counterweights—each group sketches its idea on paper: what the wings will look like, where the weight will go, and what shape the body will take.

The most important message at this stage is clear: every idea is valid. There are no wrong sketches. This is the perfect moment to reinforce the lesson Cairo teaches us—every failure carries a learning opportunity.

Building the Dream / 25 minutes

This is the core moment of the experience, when children get hands‑on and bring their ideas to life. Each group builds its prototype independently, without direct adult intervention. Facilitators simply guide the process through questions such as: What would happen if the wing were larger? Is the toy balanced? How do you think it will react to the air?

In this way—often without even realizing it—children explore key concepts such as balance, weight and counterweight, aerodynamic shape, and air resistance.

Like Cairo / 15 minutes

As the experience approaches its final stage, it’s time for the moment of truth. From a safe point, each group launches its prototype and observes what happens. Some will fly. Others will fall. Many will do something completely unexpected.

The golden rule is simple: only one improvement is allowed—just one. This means observing carefully, identifying what didn’t work, and agreeing on the single most important change to make. It’s a powerful dynamic that helps instill the value of analysis, reflection—and yes, negotiation.

Building a Dream / 10 minutes

As the activity comes to a close, children gather in a circle around the facilitator, holding their creations and sharing what they’ve experienced.

Beyond whether their toy flew successfully, this moment shifts the focus to the heart. Through guided reflection, they revisit what they learned throughout the session, what Cairo did right—and, most importantly, what dream they themselves would like to build next.