Some of the considerations that you may want to look at, especially with kids, is are they (like mine) unable to see a pile of leaves (and other misc. stuff) without jumping in? I have mine in a bin for several reasons. One, I hot compost, and with a bin, it's much easier to get the pile taller and keep it that way. It keeps it "tidier" and contained. The bins I have are made of industrial shelving wire-tied together that were headed for the dump. I have one side that opens for access to turn the pile. I turn mine by digging it all out, putting it on a tarp, then putting it all back in and dampening it as I go. It is easier to turn an open pile, at least I found it easier before my bins came along. Two, I have dogs and I live in a rural area. My dogs and all the critters love my compost pile and I hate the mess they leave behind. The bin prevents that. Three, it is a lot easier for my not-fully compost friendly hubby to mow around. It is really a personal preference as compost happens without a fancy bin. Good luck with your decision.

Carrieann I use those circular bins you mention. I use !0' of 1/2" hardware-cloth and attach with cable ties to make a 3' diameter bin. To turn, either slip it up over the top of your pile or cut some ties. Then set next to your existing pile and re-fill. It keeps critters and pets out and lets air in. Works for me. Welcome and happy gardening!
Pete

A cheap easy bin can be made from 4 same sized Pallets stood on end and wired together. When ready to turn simply untie and turn. Want to see a multitude of home made bins? Go to Google type in Compost bins and select images then hit go jim

If you are new to composting you could just start small without buying anything at all.

Find an out of the way spot in the yard (if it's a spot where you will want to put plants in the future, even better), dig a shallow hole or a trench, put the materials you want to compost into the hole and cover it up with the dirt you just dug up. That's it. Wait a few months and you've got compost.

This is called trench composting and while it's not the quickest way to make compost, it's the cheapest and the easiest way I know.

I do this with pine needles, pine cones, and deadwood that fall from my neighbor's pine trees into my yard every fall and then spread the resulting compost around my azaleas every spring. Azaleas love composted pine needles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trench Composting

Composting is really easy and the pile does not need to be 5 feet high. The optimal size for a compost pile is 4 x 4 x 4 although it can be smaller. I never had a problem with the kids playing on any of the compost piles I had when they were growing p (although that may have been because of the manure I used too). The link below will take you to a very good tutorial about composting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Composting tutorial

carrieann, you don't want to use chicken wire if you go the wire bin route that Pete and I use. You're going to want the hardware cloth the he mentioned; chicken wire is too flimsy.

Children generally only get into a compost bin once, if that. I know that I, and probably most children, would rather play in manure than a compost bin. Dogs are generally more of an issue, although it's not much of an issue here. Dog digs under wire bin. Dog eats compost. Dog gets sick. Dog gets no sympathy. (I do have a friend, though, whose dog got something expensive that she called 'compost gut'.)

You're going to love composting.

I guess, maybe, my boys are just strange little bugs, because they played constantly in my compost pile when they were little. When newly piled with fresh leaves, they would jump in it, then they played in it all spring and summer because they loved playing with bugs. I tried having a compost pile when they were little, and because of them (and other reasons) I gave up trying until this past year. Now that they are older and never home, I've got all the time in the world to play with my pile myself :)

My kids both like the bugs and worms part, as long as I'm doing the digging. My son turned the pile as punishment and then stayed with me the whole day as we puttered around the garden. I think I'll find something to punish him for soon as another pile needs turned. But the funny thing is they have no interest in the finished product. I screened about 14 gallons of finished compost Saturday and neither one of them would touch that fine, black, cool soil. I couldn't keep my hands out of it and they fled like it was a pile of planarium.

Regarding the topic, I have a series of 4x4 pallets, wired together to make 4 bins. The pallets were free. They're not pretty but they work well. I tried a pile for a while. could be I was too lazy to keep it maintained, but it got overgrown with Johnson grass and other weeds and was a real chore to clean up. I think having an empty bin waiting to be turned into motivates me to get out there and fill it up, where the pile just didn't do it for me. One thing I have learned though is that getting to the bottom of a good pile and finding that rich, finished compost, makes all the work worthwhile.

One small detail:
If you have rats or some other critters, pile will attract more of them. I have switched to enclosed bin when i got problem with rats (though some consider them "native airators").

A big black snake will take care of the rats and mice. I mention this only because I scared one out of the neighbor's woodpile as I was mowing her yard (no I don't bag the clippings, that's just too much work). I hated to see him leave and I hope he comes back, I'm thinking that's why there haven't been a lot of mice trying to get into my house. He was about 6' long.

Many people make statements about rats, and probably mice, getting into compost piles but the New York City community garden compost piles do not have a problem with that. There are rats all over NYC, so I'm told, but they are not a problem in the compsot piles there. The compost piles in the community gardens in Seattle also do not have a prolem with rats or mice according to the people I correspond with there. I've not heard from other places with community gardens with compost piles, yet.