Words that start with R

The rabbit is a small animal found in many parts of the world. In Australia, rabbits are the single worst introduced pest. Rabbits make good pets, if they are properly looked after.

A raccoon is a medium sized animal native to North America, although they have been spread to Europe by people. They prefer to live in forests. Raccoons like to sleep during the day and hunt at night. They eat insects, plants and small animals. A baby raccoon is called a kit.

A race is where two or more people or animals try and take the shortest possible time to travel a set distance. The winner is the fastest. There are lots of different kinds of race. The picture is of some people racing each other on bicycles, but there are also horse races, dog races, running races, car races and of course anything that can move can be raced.

A stereo, or radio is a device for playing recorded music from tapes, CDs, or listening to music that is broadcasted through the air on radio waves.

Radishes are an edible root vegetable. They come in a variety of colors, with the most common being red and white. The root of the radish is crisp and has a sharp peppery flavour, with some radish varieties being hotter than others.

Radishes are most commonly used in salads, and can be preserved by pickling them. Radish leaves and seeds are also edible but not as many people eat them as eat the root.

A raft is the most simple form of boat. Rafts can be made from anything that will float. The raft in the picture is a purpose-made inflatable raft.

A rag is a small leftover piece of cloth, usually used for something like cleaning with.

Some people use rags to make things from, like rag dolls or quilts.

A rail is a long, thin piece of wood or metal that is fixed in place horizontally. Rails are often used like in the picture as a guard to stop people going past them. They can be fixed to a wall as a support somewhere people might need them, like in a shower cubicle.

A special type of rail is found on a railway track.

A railroad is made from two rails laid parallel to each other. The rails are usually fixed to wooden or concrete sleepers. Railroads are especially made for trains to travel along.

Clouds are made out of tiny droplets of water. As a cloud gets bigger and bigger, the droplets join up and become bigger too. Eventually the droplets get too big and heavy to stay up in the air, and they fall as rain.