“Children are somehow calmer under a tree. I’ve noticed, again and again, their mood changes for the better,” the 35-year-old shared with FMT Lifestyle.

Midway through Bavanie’s nature-based English class, a sudden flutter overhead brought the lesson to a screeching halt. A flock of birds had arrived.

Instead of pushing on with the activity, Bavanie simply paused and invited the children to watch.

That quiet moment captures the heart of Pokok Playgroup – a nature-based learning space where curiosity is allowed to lead, and where conservation begins with the simple act of observing wildlife in all its raw beauty.

Pokok was born not from strategy but instinct. Bavanie had always been drawn to animals and the outdoors, often bringing nieces, nephews and neighbourhood children into nature.

“A lot of kids nowadays are quite detached from nature,” she pointed out.

After becoming a mother, Bavanie started bringing her children to a park in Cyberjaya where she used to stay. “I would go almost every day. That’s how I know which tree is rooting, where the birds are coming from. And I make the play according to that,” she explained.

Yet the idea was also shaped by discomfort. Bavanie recalled attending nature programmes where wildlife handling was normalised – practices she felt contradicted conservation values.

“You can do a lot of learning without touching or feeding animals,” she said. “Just listening to their sounds and recognising them is enough.”

Her response was to create something different: sessions grounded in observation, ethics, and imaginative play. Pokok’s activities are structured but playful.

Children move through themed stations that explore wildlife, threats and conservation in tactile ways that involve letting the kids get messy with their hands.

A turtle session might involve building coral reefs from play-dough before removing plastic “threats” from toy turtles. Elephant sessions recreate forest fires using painted leaves, allowing children to “extinguish” them while discussing habitat loss.

“They go back with some kind of knowledge,” Bavanie said. “It’s not just normal sensory play.”

Still, Pokok remains deeply responsive to the environment. Bavanie gathers seeds, flowers and fibres from forest floors, designing activities around what nature offers that day.

“I’m always out every day trying to look for new stuff,” she said. “If a plant is fruiting, that becomes part of the session.”

The impact on children has been striking. Bavanie talked about Rukia – a lively girl who initially spoke no English and appeared distracted during sessions.

“After the fourth session, she came to me and said ‘mouth, legs’ and started pointing to her body parts,” Bavanie recalled.

“She was so excited to show what she had learned.” Parents have noticed deeper changes too. Children become more social, more observant and more emotionally connected to animals. Some families even began questioning the ethics of zoo visits after Pokok’s sessions sparked conversation.

More recently, Bavanie’s work has shifted to Raub, where she volunteers with the Gibbon Conservation Society and runs sessions for Orang Asli children. Here, Pokok has evolved into something bigger – a bridge between language learning and environmental stewardship.

“We want them to learn the exact names for what they already know. And our activities make them want to know more and ask their elders for names and stories,” she said.

“We want them to know how to record their observations so that they can share to the world what they see and experience. That’s why we’re teaching them to use citizen science tools like INaturalist.”

Despite its growth, Pokok faces challenges – funding, transport and the realities of running sessions largely alone.

Yet Bavanie’s vision remains clear: empower communities to eventually lead their own programmes. “If they can do it themselves, they don’t need me as a facilitator anymore,” she said.

For Bavanie, Pokok is also personal. After years in a job she did not love, and dreams of veterinary school that never materialised, she has found meaning in community conservation.

“I was complaining a lot in my life,” she admitted. “Now I realise I can still do this without paper qualifications. Conservation is not only rescuing animals – you have to involve the community.”

Follow Pokok Playgroup on Instagram.