Meet the Magic Makers: Getting to Know the Orchidale Team!

Welcome to this month’s blog! This June, we are taking a moment to step behind the scenes at Orchidale so you can get to know the wonderful practitioners who care for, teach, and laugh with your children every day. To help parents and families learn a little more about the people making the magic happen, we asked our staff a series of fun questions. From their go-to messy play activities to their dream superpowers, read on to discover what makes our Orchidale team so special!

Abby

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? I always like reading We're Going on a Bear Hunt. I like being able to express all the different sounds.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? Wind the Bobbin Up.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? As I work in the baby room, it’s more about the funny stuff I say to them, rather than what they say to us.

• What is your go-to messy play activity? I love playdough with flowers and water.

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Giving them a cuddle and distracting them by singing a song.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? I can’t remember when I was a child; however, now it would be anything with pasta.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? I will always choose a dog! They are a great companion.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? I would love to do yoga!

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? To never give up and always keep trying.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? The Maldives.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? I would love to be able to be invisible; however, I’m not sure how it would help me at work!

Bethany

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? “That’s Not My” books…They are so interactive, especially for the little ones!.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? Miss Polly had a Dolly.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? “Is it my turn to wear your shoes?”

• What is your go-to messy play activity? Cloud Dough!

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Singing nursery rhymes whilst dancing around to distract the children.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? As a child, spaghetti bolognese and cheese and as an adult, it's spaghetti bolognese and LOTS of cheese!

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? A Carnotaurus – it’s a dinosaur.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? Painting.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Live life to the fullest.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? Antarctica.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? Telekinesis.

Gabby

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? Dear Zoo – I love that the children can join in.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? Sleeping Bunnies.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? “Can I come on the plane with you?”

• What is your go-to messy play activity? I love the mud kitchen!

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Knowing the children and what their favourite activity is to cheer them up.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? As a child, pesto pasta and now it's any kind of sushi.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? A Monkey.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? To be able to play the piano.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? If you believe in yourself, you can achieve any goal.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? Mexico.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? Split myself in two, then I can do multiple things at once.

Grace

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? Room on the Broom – I enjoy the characters and the journey they go on.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? The Housemartins version of wind the bobbin up.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? My Daddy only eats gum when he doesn’t brush his teeth!

• What is your go-to messy play activity? Spatter painting.

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Giving cuddles and listening to them.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? Spaghetti bolognese when I was little, honey drizzle chicken now.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? A Tiger.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? The best race car driver.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Confidence is key to self-success.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? Jamacia.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? Teleport to and from work.

Hollie

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? The Oi Frog series – it’s clearly written and has great illustrations.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? Tiny Turtle.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? “My legs have got a headache”.

• What is your go-to messy play activity? Colourful water play.

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Cuddling them and talking to them about their interests.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? Fish fingers as a child, now it’s scampi.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? A Dragon – I could ride it to different places.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? Become a saxophonist.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Always speak to people the way you want to be spoken to.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? Any Ski resort in season.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? Invisibility – to appear from one area to another.

Shannon

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? Winnie the Witch – The Amazing Pumpkin. It’s such a great way to inspire creativity and imaginative thinking during our Pumpkin week in October. In fact, I love all Winnie the Witch books. It’s why our chicken is called Winnie.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? I love our Housemartins version of " Wind the Bobbin Up'. We point to the sky, dirt, Shepard’s hut and the yurt. It perfectly sums us up in the garden.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? Not so recent, but it sticks with me. After we went on a visit to the castle museum, a child said. “But it wasn’t a real castle, there wasn’t a queen!”

• What is your go-to messy play activity? I love a bit of water play on a sunny day, with flowers, tea bags and all different coloured water!

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Distract them by asking them random questions.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? When I was a child, I loved fruit! I still love fruit; however, right now the baby in my tummy is deciding each day on a new favourite food.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? I think it would be a dragon, so it could fly me to lots of different places.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? I wish I could become fluent in multiple languages!

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Just be yourself – Not everyone in life will be your cup of tea, and you won’t be theirs, and that’s okay.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? Probably Turkey, I love the country and want to explore more of it. And a relaxing break on the beach sounds great right now!

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? I wish I could teleport – I’d be able to get to work in record time. Move around the nursery at impossible speed, and I’d be able to travel the world at the weekends!

Emma

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? Either any of the “That’s Not My” books, as the babies love them, or The Gruffalo.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? The Wheels on the Bus as there are so many different verses, and you can always make it slightly different.

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? The babies and I have many conversations daily; however, they mainly consist of “really”, “yeah or “that’s what I thought”, and then some giggles, babbling and smiles for their response.

• What is your go-to messy play activity? Playdough is always a winner, or attacking a bit of paper with some paint.

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Talking to them to distract, anything from the weather to what we have planned for the day.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? I have to say pasta was my favourite as a child and probably still is now.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? Maybe Pikachu? I bet he’d be a great buddy!

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? I'd love to be able to play the guitar. I have always wanted to be able to sing a song and play at the same time.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? You only live once, do what makes you happy.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? I do want to go to Iceland to see the northern lights.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? Either invisibility or being able to be in more than one place at once, so I can get more done and spend more time with every child.

Toni

• What is your absolute favourite storybook to read to the children and why? Jenny and the Cat Club as it reminds me of quiet time in the evening with my dad.

• If you could only sing one nursery rhyme for the rest of the year, which one are you picking? Ring a Ring of Roses!

• What is the funniest or sweetest thing a child has said to you recently? We know you’re the cook as you wear an apron!

• What is your go-to messy play activity? Mud Kitchen!

• What is your secret superpower for calming a grumpy toddler or comforting a sad child? Singing to a heartbeat.

• What was your favourite food when you were a child, and what is your favourite food now? As a child, Grandma's homemade chips. As an adult, Greek Salad.

• If you could have any animal as a pet (real or mythical), what would it be? A horse.

• If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or hobby, what would it be? Reading children’s thoughts.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Live life on the edge, or you take up too much room.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go? Cyprus.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help you at work? Blink my eyes and be somewhere I would like to be – I could get to work without driving!

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed getting to know the fantastic faces behind the fun at Orchidale! From teleportation dreams to a shared love of pasta and messy play, it is clear that our team brings a wealth of imagination, patience, and joy into the nursery every single day. The next time you drop off your little one, be sure to say hello to the staff and maybe even ask them about their favourite childhood memories!