Deputy principal Jess McAuley said the class project was about giving back to the community.
"We were learning about being kaitiaki [guardian] and we had done a lot of work around manakitanga [to extend love and compassion] and so it was about giving back."
The pupils were discussing children's illnesses and cancers when they came up with the idea to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Ms McAuley found out about the incoming Dunedin Ronald McDonald House at a Dunedin supper club evening and thought it was fitting to donate to the charity.
The project began last year in term 3.
She wanted to do something with the pupils that went from a problem to a solution.
"What I really enjoy about teaching is having an end product where we don’t just learn, we actually do something."
The project incorporated literacy and numeracy skills as the pupils had to learn about following instructions and setting out recipes for the book.
The pupils came up with recipes from their countries to learn about where they came from and connect with their families over food, Ms McAuley said.
Year 4 pupil Anne Bertoli was from France and supplied a recipe for croissants in the book.
McDonald’s Dunedin ambassador Annemarie Jorissen said it was special for the pupils to be doing something for other children.
The $833.30 raised from the book sales would be distributed to houses all over New Zealand.
