Cooking isn't merely a way to keep kids busy during the summer; it's a survival skill.

Kids who can put together a meal won't grow up having to rely on fast food or frozen dinners. Also, they have a better appreciation of what goes into home cooking. And the immediate payoff comes when they can give Mom a hand with dinner.

Cooking skills can be taught in your own home, but it's fun to go to a class and let someone else do the teaching. And kids get to eat their homework, too.

The Viking Cooking School at 2233 S. 300 East is new this year. In addition to its wealth of year-round classes, it offers summer camps and workshops for children and teens. For instance, "Hot Cooking Trends Camp" forkids focuses on five trendy concepts: "small plates," Latin American and Asian cuisines, "mood food" and "going green" with earth-friendly ingredients. Some of the dishes they will make include trifecta turkey burgers, grilled Turkish chicken kebabs, lemon shrimp bruschetta, tortilla soup, fish tacos, dulce de leche ice cream, spring rolls, Korean barbecue in lettuce cups, and mixed berry muffins. Although the menus for both kids' and teens' camps are identical, they are designed to teach age-appropriate cooking skills in a suitable time frame, according to culinary director Cathy Mooers.

The five-day camp runs each day from 10 a.m.-noon, and the cost is $175 for kids and $188 for teens.

Here's a rundown of class venues around the state:

Viking Cooking School, 1122 S. 300 East, offers: