Thought Zoo

For teachers

Thought Zoo in the classroom A 20 questions animal game for the whole class

Sammy thinks of an animal, and your class finds it with yes-or-no questions on one big screen. Children practise asking good questions, listening and ruling things out, and every round ends with a fact about the animal. The Farm is free: no sign-up, no ads.

Play the Farm Print the riddle cards
Professor Sammy, a cartoon explorer in a safari hat and round glasses

Playing with a class

  1. Open it on the board

    Go to play.thoughtzoo.app in the browser and pick the Farm. It works on a laptop, an interactive board or a tablet.

  2. Take turns asking

    A child asks a yes-or-no question out loud while holding the button, or you type it for them.

  3. Keep track on the board

    Two columns, Yes and No. After each answer, the class crosses out the animals it can't be.

  4. Find it in 15 questions

    Sammy offers a hint after 8 and 12 questions, and each hint costs a star. Can the class do it without?

Lesson plan

A 10-minute lesson

Children describe animals by where they live, what they eat and how their bodies work, and learn to ask questions that rule out half the animals at once.

Ages 6 to 12 · Science, language · One screen

  1. 2 min

    Warm up

    Read one riddle card aloud, a clue at a time. How many clues did the class need?

  2. 6 min

    Play a round

    Children take turns asking Sammy; keep Yes and No on the board and cross animals out.

  3. 2 min

    Talk about it

    Which question helped most? Which one told us nothing new? Why?

  4. Next time

    Write a riddle

    Each child writes five clues in an animal's voice, from vague to telling, without naming it. Swap and guess.

Printable riddle cards

Six cards to an A4 page, the answer upside down at the bottom of each. Free for home and classroom use.

Questions from teachers

Is it free for schools?
The Farm is free for everyone, in the browser and in the apps, as often as you like. Other adventures can be bought by a grown-up.
What ages is it for?
6 to 12. Younger children play well with an adult asking or typing for them.
Does it need an account or an install?
No. It runs in the browser on a laptop, an interactive board or a tablet.
Which languages?
English and Croatian. Sammy speaks both.
Can we copy the riddle cards?
Yes, as many as you like for home and classroom use. Please don't sell them.