It's easy to forget that sometimes simple is best!

I stole a simple but great idea from some friends of mine: I hung some dixie cups up around the playareas the other night for the birds to forage on. As soon as I hung each one up, Tonka was sprinting across the toys to get to it!  But I held her back and let Norah get to one first, and it was a difficult one!

I hung these up all over the two main play areas, and all the birds have enjoyed them. I fill the cups with bits of seed, pellets, and little toy bits like cut up straws, pony beads, tiny chunks of woods, and paper shreds. Now, when I bring the birds out to the playgyms, the first thing they do is start checking the cups to see if any new goodies have been added! This is foraging at it's most basic level, just like they would act in the wild. I love it!