It’s Fall o’clock!
Do You Know where your fire pit is?
Big Bend Landscaping has been serving the St. Louis area for more than 25 years, and not once has one of our customers called us up to tell us that they regretted hiring us to install a fire pit. In fact, just the opposite. It is a versatile, useful addition to any outdoor living space. Most customers will tell you that they use their fire pit all the time and don’t know why they waited so long.
The thing is—it’s not about the fire pit itself as much as it is what happens around it when the flames are leaping. When you hire Big Bend Landscaping to install a fire pit in your backyard, you are giving yourself the gift of time—time with family and friends, and time to reflect on what’s behind you and what’s ahead.
Let’s face it, we all need a minute right now. Summer is behind us, school’s just starting, and holidays are on the horizon. Soon, the kids will be running from one activity to another and you’ll be running with them. What better way to spend the breaks between all the activities than in your own backyard? Let’s look at just a few unique ways you can use your fire pit as a place to rest and enjoy your family.
Campfire/Fire Pit Stories
So, it’s a Friday night in September and the temperatures are cool, but not freezing. The TV is running or the kids are off playing video games. And it occurs to you that you can’t remember the last time you just hung out with your kids and enjoyed their company.
You need to fix that. Like. Right now. But how are you going to entice them to leave their electronics behind and join you for an activity?
Now is the time to use your fire pit. Light it up, grab the makings for S’mores, and call them outside (Note: Not all fire pits lend themselves well to cooking—be sure and confirm that yours can be used like this. If it can’t, you can make them in the microwave—and take them outside with you).
The cool part about this idea is that it doesn’t require anything other than a comfortable place away from distractions and a fertile imagination. Pull up a seat or spread out on your seating wall and suggest you take turns telling stories. You can each tell one of your own. OR you can construct one as a group with everyone contributing a sentence or an idea. Here is a really simple way to introduce storytelling as a family activity. Storytelling is not only a great bonding experience, it’s a great way to exercise your imagination.
OR you can tell them a story about yourself (preferably something funny—maybe a little embarrassing) and encourage them to talk about themselves. Or maybe you can tell them uplifting stories from your family history. When you get closer to Halloween, you can look up silly ghost stories and tell them to one another and have small contests to see who tells the funniest story. You can even have them draw random items or slips of paper out of a hat or bag and challenge them to tell a story about whatever item they draw.
You do not have to be a stellar storyteller to do any of this. The goal is to build connections and enjoy one another’s company. Keep it silly and light and put smiles on everyone’s faces!
Here are a few story ideas to get you started.
Use Your Fire Pit for Game Night
Use your fire pit as a place to play games with your family. Fire pits lend themselves well to playing simple games because they provide a warm focal point and encourage people to relax and enjoy themselves.
There are a lot of simple games that require little more than a good sense of humor and an active mind. Here are just two of our favorites:
20 Questions
Select one person to begin as ‘it.’ During each round, ‘it’ chooses a person, place, or thing but does not reveal the identity of the chosen item to the other players. Next, players take turns asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions about the item as they attempt to figure out what it might be. A total of only 20 questions may be asked. If at any stage of the game a player guesses correctly, play ceases and the winner becomes ‘it’ for the next round. If no one can guess the answer after all 20 questions are asked, ‘it’ reveals the item’s identity, and a new round can begin.
Fortunately/Unfortunately.
The first player begins the story with a fortunate or positive statement. For example, “Fortunately, I won the class prize of lunch with the teacher.” The next player contributes an unfortunate statement to continue the story, such as “Unfortunately, the teacher was absent and I had to have lunch with the principal!” Player three adds another positive statement, “Fortunately, it was mac and cheese day.” Player four adds another unfortunate statement, and so on. Play continues until the story comes to a logical conclusion… either happily or unhappily!
Here are a few more. (You’ll want to test these out before using them—some of them are aimed at older children and adults).
Listening to Music
Music is a great way to bond with others. Sitting around a fire and singing or listening to it just seem to go hand-in-hand. But you don’t have to stick to traditional campfire songs.
Is someone in your family musically inclined? Invite them to bring their instrument of choice out to the fire pit to sing some of your favorites while gathered around the warmth of the fire.
Not musically inclined, but you want to have live music anyway? Younger kids will especially like this one. If you have inexpensive rhythm instruments on hand, you can give them out to everyone—including the adults—and sing a simple song while everyone “plays” along (with a bit of planning, you can pick up kazoos and harmonicas at any dollar store and add them to the mix). Or, you can quickly round up items such as empty coffee cans, wooden spoons, etc from your kitchen or garage. With kids, take a minute to show them how to beat time or just let them find it on their own. Sing an easy, catchy tune. Have them rotate to the next instrument in between songs. Or you can play a sort of musical chairs with the instruments, stopping the song suddenly and having everyone switch.
Live music not really your thing? Round up a cell phone and a Bluetooth speaker and take requests, then set up a playlist. Older children and teens may appreciate this one the most. And this is a great opportunity to get them to open up about what they’re listening to and why. You can show them a few of yours too—tell them why you like yours too.
Backyard Camping
After you hire Big Bend Landscaping to install a fire pit for you, the only thing left for you to do is come up with ways to incorporate it into your life. Here is another popular way to use your fire pit.
People of all ages love backyard campouts—it’s like taking a vacation without leaving home. Well. Okay. Not exactly a vacation. But a break from all the demands of the day. It’s a change in routine and scenery. If you do it right, backyard camping can be a great opportunity to unplug and just enjoy your family.
All you need is a tent, some bedding, decorations like string lighting, a few flashlights or lanterns, snack food, and a fire pit. Check the weather—if it’s not going to rain, leave the rain fly off the tent so you can enjoy the stars (more on that in a minute). If you don’t have a tent—no worries—grab a tarp or a blanket (as long as it’s not going to rain) and build a blanket fort outside!
Make setting up and “decorating” a family event. Everyone contributes something. Maybe they make the food. Or they hang up the lights. Or fix up the bedding so that it’s comfortable inside the tent. When everyone contributes, everyone has more fun!
Turn everything in the house off except the bathroom light and make it a goal not to go back inside otherwise. When it’s set up, everyone can gather around the fire pit, just like they would at a campsite, eat snacks, play games, and enjoy one another’s company. Then crawl inside the tent and talk until everyone falls asleep.
This isn’t the only way to enjoy backyard camping! Here are some other simple backyard camping ideas.
Star Gazing
When you hire Big Bend Landscaping to install a fire pit, you and your family will probably find yourselves spending more time outside after dark, sitting around the fire pit and enjoying nature. Just sitting in silence and looking at the expanse of stars overhead is good for the soul. But it is especially so when sitting around a fire with loved ones.
You can leave the moment alone if you prefer, or you can spend a little time teaching your kids how to find constellations and planets. Check the calendar for lunar eclipses and meteor showers and make plans to spend the evening outside. You can teach them about the phases of the moon. And if you have a telescope, you can expand on your conversation even more.
Don’t have a firm command of the locations and names of planets and stars? That’s okay! There are tons of free apps designed to help. Check out these suggestions to make sure this is a memory maker for you and your kids..
Date Night
When Big Bend Landscaping installs a fire pit for our customers, we hope it will help bring families closer than ever. Family + Time Together = Happiness. And time invested in your relationship with your significant other is an important part of that equation. Studies have shown that couples who prioritize spending time together and with their families are happier and have a healthier relationship.
And while going out to dinner and taking trips are a great way to do that, the best moments together as a couple are often at home in your own space.
Your fire pit is a great place to spend a date night. It brings all the ambiance. All you have to bring is food, drink, possibly a blanket if it’s a chilly night, and music if you want it. A little planning on your part can turn a humdrum evening into a memorable moment.
Ready to Install a Fire Pit?
If you don’t have a fire pit and live in the St. Louis area, now is the time to get in touch with Big Bend Landscaping to install a fire pit for you. Check out our gallery here for ideas and give us a call!
Big Bend Landscaping has been building firepits, patios, pathways, retaining walls, and seating walls in the St. Louis area for over 25 years. We have 59 Five Star Reviews on Google and an A+ rating with the BBB. Our crews have a Level 1 Certification from the National Concrete and Masonry Association. This means we’re experts in our field. Check out our testimonials to see what our customers are saying about us.
Big Bend Landscaping installs fire pits that are attractive and safe, using only fireproof materials—metal, special fireproof brick and pavers. We rely on companies like Belgard, Romanstone, BP, and Pavestone because their pavers are covered by lifetime guarantees. We offer wood burning, natural gas, and propane fire pits so you can choose the fuel that best fits your lifestyle and preferences.
Call Big Bend Landscaping today and let us show you what we can do for you! Check out our website for more details and contact us below for more information!
