You could lay down a decorative gravel base, then center anything you wanted, such as:
* (portable) decorative fire pit
* bird bath
* pedestal w/ gazing ball (or not, depending on how old the kids are)
* pedestal w/ flower pot
* statuary

If you get bored w/ one, put it somewhere else in the garden & install something new. You could even do something related to seasons, holidays, etc.

I vote for the firepit. We use ours all the time.
We've had it for 3 years now.
It's our gathering spot. We spend most evenings out around the firepit. They have so many beautiful ones out now, I may replace mine next year.

Haziemoon

A couple things come to mind, irene. First the age of the kids, and how close is the playing area to the focal point?

I mention this because if your backyard has soccer balls regularly kicked around, and baseballs being tossed back and forth, then any focal point is in danger. ( I am the mother of sons..can you tell? ) :-)

It might be easier, and safer, if your focal point is something inexpensive and easily replaced, i.e; annuals.

If that's not an issue, I vote for a birdbath. I bought one about 3 years ago, and I love it! It's used year round and is a gathering spot for several varieties of birds.

Marilyn

Yes! Birdbaths and fountains- i love those focal points... and if you can really have water there-you can make a succulent garden in the bird bath or some kind of suculent pot garden fo different color and size pots like strawberry pots and such.. I love little succulten pot gardens..

Or a nice potted topiary woudl work as a focal point too...
Soccer boys would be a hamper to any ocal point. LOL

If you have older kids I would vote for the firepit. Kids need a place for slowing down and talking. But, like Marilyn said, I raised boys and had no focal point. Do you think birds would use the birdbath while you are sitting there? I wouldn't think so. Maybe put that somewhere in view, but not so close.

Marilyn - Great point - ds is 5, and dd is 2. Definitely nothing breakable! (Today was ds' very 1st soccer practice...) That's part of why I liked the idea of a firepit - also not too tall to get knocked over.

Otoh, annuals is also a good idea - that could be ds' garden. Hmmm - not sure if I want him to have control of the focal point! Tho, either way, I might need to put some low fencing around it to protect it from bunnies - that might help it feel more like a focal point.

And while I like the concept of changing it frequently, I know I wouldn't keep up with it!

I'm still open to suggestions...

A birdbath would be lovely surrounded by stepping stones interplanted with various low growers, such as herbs. I'm planning a similar area in a new bed I made this past weekend although I won't have 4 benches - lucky you.

The birds will use the birdbath if there isn't a lot of activity going on while they're visiting. The one in the pic at the link is just steps from my deck and the birds are always flying in for a drink and shower regardless of whether I am out there or not. They ignore the kitties, as well. The birdbath turned planter in front of my porch was another place they visited when it still held water. We would sit in our rockers on the porch and watch while they played in it like children in a puddle. I'm looking for another birdbath for the spot since the old one isn't working out as a planter in that area. Or maybe I can patch the drain holes we drilled. Hmmm . . . must run that one by DH. ; )

Have fun and post pics when you finish!
Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: birdbath near deck

In summer, a sundial? Even better, a sun-dial arrangement of plants which your ds & dd help plant?

A lovely focal point for adults, but your children would own it, too. Imagine them describing to visitors.

Links the kids to astronomy (now 51, one of my best kid-hood memories is older BIL waking me at midnight when I was 10 to view a lunar eclipse), a bit of math. PLUS you can set time limits ("time to set the table" rings in my ears), and it's Mr. Sun, not Mom, who's calling the shots.

Doesn't work so well on cloudy days, though. "Where would the shadow be if we could see it?" doesn't quite cut the mustard.

Encourage you to involve your kids as much as possible. What's more fun than mud-pies, spraying each other with a hose at the end of a dusty day?

Solana - The sundial idea is cool, but I don't trust my gardening skills enough to try anything requiring precision! Much less if the kids "help" me - lol.

I did have the kids "help" dig up where I planted some iris divisions today. ;) Which made me realize how much I'll need those new borders - every existing planting bed is in at least some, if not total, shade...

I'm in the process (since spring) of gradually moving my garden to another state. When I visted there last week I was happy to see things looked healthy, but disappointed that it all looked so "blah". My daughter helped me to unpack our pedestal birdbath and we just stuck it in the front of the new garden space. Incredible what a difference it made immediately, even in a rather plain area.

Also, at the time when I purchased the first birdbath, I wanted a second one but couldn't afford it. I made a perfectly good CHEAP one using an old half whiskey barrel and topping it with a large terra cotta saucer. I put a thin, flat stone on one side for the smaller birds. The birds liked it so well that I never did replace it. This was it's third summer in our back garden. Since it has a sturdy base it would be nearly impossible for kids to knock over.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's ideas!

Patti

here are some focal points I have: birdbaths, gazing ball, shepherd's hooks with baskets or bird feeders, sundial, bottle tree - I drug up most of these (salvaged) from Katrina. Lost the firepit to Katrina. The bottle tree is new now that I'm in Mississippi. You could also have a chiminea which is like a fire pit.