Create a "Camping Basics" list….you know, the stuff you always take camping.

Pack all of the non-perishables into one of those plastic containers and if you are an avid camper, just keep it stocked.

Create a "Food Staples" list. These are the items to pack the day before into a container with a tight fitting lid. These are the items that you don't want to share with the bugs.

As you are tending your outdoor kitchen, don't hesitate to pass on your camping wisdom to whomever is within earshot.

To cook a meal for 8-10 hungry campers, clean it all up, repack it away and store it in the tightly closed box, cooler or back in the vehicle. This requires methodical planning, patience, time management, resourcefulness, and a good sense of humor. (The humor comes in handy when you have to haul all of that stuff back out again for the next meal). What school can teach all of these valuable lessons and result in a plate of delicious grub?

What you pack should be basic, but not sparse. You can offer an amazing menu from just a few basic food stuffs. Avoid packing mayonnaise or lunch meats, as they are quick at spoiling.

Plan ahead with keeping things cool for an extended period of time. Worrying about how much ice is left and where you are going to get more isn't an idea of a relaxing campout.

It is fun to cook and wash up when camping. There is something almost primeval about making do with only a pot of hot water, a washcloth and a squeeze bottle of castile soap, about having to haul your water from the other side of the campground or the river.

If Mom is the designated chief cook and bottle washer, let everyone else do the hauling gear from the truck, the setting up and taking down of camp, and the gathering of firewood. The cook is the one to pack the camp kitchen stuff, and repack it when done.