The chemical reaction was supposed to inflate the balloon – but she had overfilled it. The gas built up, and suddenly, the balloon burst, coating her grandmother in a cloud of baking soda.
“It was just so funny!” Dayaaliniy told FMT Lifestyle.
But these playful experiments would soon lead her to a remarkable achievement – securing a place in the Malaysia Book of Records for conducting 10 science experiments in one minute.
“I was so happy when I got the award. I didn’t think I would win it.”
Her mother, Jana Kanapathy, a social scientist, was immensely proud of her. “We didn’t feel much pressure because we knew she was capable of it,” she said. “It was more about calming her down. When you take a child to a new environment, their behaviour changes.”
Dayaaliniy, who started experimenting at three after receiving a science kit for Christmas, wowed judges with her speed and understanding of the science behind each experiment.
From suspending a balloon mid-air with a hairdryer to creating a foamy baking soda eruption, she demonstrated 10 principles of science in under 60 seconds.
The preparation was intense. First, they had to choose the right experiments – ones Dayaaliniy could complete quickly.
Then came the daily practice. Her initial time was one minute and 20 seconds, but after a month of training, she finally hit the one-minute mark.
“It took us approximately two months and 60 practice sessions to prepare Daya for this,” Jana mentioned.
And just in case, they packed backups for everything. “We took the biggest car we had. We had three packs of everything, from balloons to vinegar and even hair dryers.”
However, for Jana, breaking records wasn’t the goal. She wanted to teach her daughter a more important lesson.
“I don’t want her to think of herself as simply gifted. I wanted her to see that with effort, she can achieve anything,” she explained. “Science came naturally to her, so we pursued it, and the Malaysia Book of Records became a bonus.”
Jana pointed out that studies have shown children praised for effort tend to achieve more in the long run than those praised for being naturally talented. “That’s why I focus on effort – it builds resilience.”
For Jana, nurturing Dayaaliniy’s curiosity went beyond textbooks. “As working parents, you don’t have much quality time with them. It’s about creating experiences and learning together. That’s what experimentation is about – not just exploring alone but exploring together.”
Jana also said that to her, the field of science isn’t just about fun experiments – it’s about shaping the future.
“So many of life’s major problems can only be solved through good STEM education,” she said. “How are we going to find a cure for cancer without STEM? Or develop the best engineers? Are we just going to import them?”
However, she said that she does worry about how easily technology distracts children. “You ask kids what they want to be, and so many say, ‘I want to be a YouTuber.’
“If you want to keep them away from screens, you have to keep them engaged in something meaningful,” she added, stressing that parents must actively engage with their children instead of leaving them to their own devices.
Luckily for Dayaaliniy, that something is science. And she’s just getting started. “I want to be in the lab with a beaker and microscope. I just love doing experiments,” the little one said excitedly.