Things are heating up here in Calgary for the summer and if you're looking for some creative ideas to keep your kids occupied we've got quite a few for you to go through. Most of these tried and true ideas use common household objects that you probably already have in your home or inexpensive supplies that can be purchased at a dollar store.

Hopscotch

With technology seeming to take over our parenting at every stage of their development it's really nice to give your kids some of the basic games that you used to play when you were young. With a piece of chalk and an empty sidewalk you can build an old-fashioned numbered hopscotch game outside. The neighborhood kids will probably want to get involved and this can actually become a community affair very quickly. This is a good chance to get your children outdoors and doing something physical. Of course, you may just want to jump into the game yourself!

Create an obstacle course

This can be done either inside or outside. Just gather up a few household items such as old boxes, tires, chairs etc. and set up an obstacle track. Kids love the challenge, it's easy to put into place and can keep your children amused for hours. When they get bored of the placement of the objects they can get creative and make their own obstacle course.

Stick puppets

Any home in Calgary with children is bound to be buying plenty of popsicles this summer. Put the leftover sticks to good use by getting your children to cut out people or animals from a magazine and glue them onto the ends of the sticks. You can then set up a puppet stage with a couple of stacked cardboard boxes and a blanket drawn over them.

Build some forts

Any child loves a fort and its great for their imagination. Simply move your living room or family room furniture into a position where it can be covered with sheets to create a hideaway for your child. His imagination will soar and he’ll continue to add to the fort in many different ways. If you have a pet cat or dog he’ll probably be invited in to help protect the fort against the evil dragon.

Make some maps

This is a fun interactive activity that you can do with your children to help get them grounded in their community. Help them put some maps into place by showing them the way to school, to the neighborhood store or anywhere else that they are familiar with. You can use colorful scraps of paper to mark any landmarks and glue them to the map. You can expect to see your child brighten up after a map or two are made. The world can seem pretty big and overwhelming to kids and doing this actually helps them feel more stable about their location in this world.

Organize a treasure hunt

This can be a great activity especially if you get together with another parent and involve other children in the neighborhood. Items can be placed in the backyard and front yard and this can also extend from one home to the other. If you have a community park in the area you could hold the hunt there as well. If you don't have time to place specific objects outside for the children to find, simply list some things that you know could be found easily. They’ll still love the game!

Hold a tasting party

This is the perfect way to get children associated to new foods.Invite over a few of your children's friends for the party and lay out some foods that they may have never tried before. For example, you could have a cheese tasting party where different types of cheese are introduced. You'll see some exciting reactions from the children as they fall in love with one cheese and then groan in distaste over another.

If you're looking for the best ways to keep your kids busy during this hot Calgary summer try to think back on the things that you used to do as a kid that you loved. Things like hopscotch, marbles, badminton, pressing leaves in a book and hunting for 4 leaf clovers are probably an important part of your childhood memories. Sometimes kids just need basic ideas to get them started so that they can create their own special memories that they can then pass down to their children.