A very clever child somewhere in a Falls elementary school may have discovered the penultimate way of having mac & cheese and chicken nuggets every night: Get a bunch of fellow kids to compile their favorite recipes and convince caring parents to publish a fundraising cookbook.

By making the $10 keepsake cookbook, the Parent Involvement Committee once again is involved in an effort to help provide teachers with the items they need to do an even better job in the classroom, according to some members.

Olivia, fourth grade, Megan, third grade, and Ashlynn, kindergarten, with their mother, Heather McBride, went from classroom to classroom Monday to remind other kids at Falls Elementary to please turn in their favorite recipes — often with the help of their parents — before the Feb. 15 deadline for a special self-published “International Falls Elementary School Cookbook” to raise money for what parents say are much-needed supplies for the district’s two elementary schools.

The McBrides even wore aprons and Megan, 8, an aspiring pastry chef inspired by TV’s no shortening of baking shows, even donned a toque, or chef’s hat.

“She makes the cupcakes herself,” her mother said. “I just put them in and take them out of the oven. She’s also always to be there at my side in the kitchen at dinner time, wanting to help any way she can, wanting to learn. She wants to know as much as she can.”

Megan said she enjoys following the recipes, trying, and if it doesn’t work out, she just tries again.

The PIC already sponsors a Christmas Eve run to raise funds for school supplies. And the nonprofit also has established a nationally popular Wishing Willow program locally for Falls and West End elementary schools, where teachers can put up “leaves” on a plastic tree on the school entrance wall with lists of items they need for their classrooms.

Parents, grandparents and Good Samaritans are asked to bring the items to the school offices. The needs are vast, PIC said, and varied from pencils and crayons to Kleenex, disinfectant wipes, hats and mittens. Studies have shown that more than 90 percent of teachers spend an average of $1,000 annually on items previously supplied by their schools or parents.

“It’s us pesky PIC parents at it again,” joked McBride about the cookbook.

She said Superintendent Nordy Nelson encouraged them to pursue the project.

On Monday, several students promised to McBride to bring in their recipes. A number of them turned in their recipe sheets, too. A private company makes the cookbooks. The goal is to have them ready by May 1, she said.

“So we can sell them at the spring concert, a lot of grandparents go to that,” McBride said. “And we want to be at the track meet and the spring picnic.”

Beginning in December, a group of PIC members, including McBride, PIC co-organizers Jenn Windels and Terry Mason as well as Dixie Kalstad and Randi Wherley “and many more,” recalled how maybe 20 years ago the school used to do a similar fundraiser — and many still have the cookbooks and recall them fondly, McBride said.

“This is why we choose this project, so the kids can get involved and hopefully have them for the rest of their lives,” she said.

They have at least 50 recipes now, but have a goal of collecting a total of 500 in the next 10 days.

So, organizers are encouraging kids and parents to go online as well to www.cookbookpublishers.com. Click on “U-Type-It,” 2.0 version, Project name “PIC Cookbook,” Username: ISD361 and Password: Falls.

Here is the official pitch from the cookbook fill-out sheet:

“Won’t you help us, please? We have decided to publish a school cookbook filled to the brim with the best recipes from the best cooks in our community... The best news of all? All profits from the sale go directly back into the school to help with current and future projects.

“These cookbooks will most definitely become a cherished keepsake. We are asking each child to submit their favorite recipe. They can certainly have more than one.”

Those who want to reserve a copy of a cookbook, which are expected to go fast, should email McBride at hebmcbride@yahoo.com or Wherley at rwherely@midco.com.