Vehicles

An airplane, or aeroplane, is a vehicle powered by an engine that flies through the air. A plane without engines is called a glider. Planes can be so small they only fit one or two people, right up to very big passenger planes that can carry hundreds of people and their luggage.

An ambulance is a type of van that is used to take sick or injured people to a hospital or doctor's surgery. Ambulances often have emergency equipment in them so ambulance officers can save people's lives when they arrive instead of just driving them to the hospital. Ambulances are also used to take people from one hospital to another.

The word 'ambulance' is written backwards on the front of an ambulance so people in cars can read the writing in their rear view mirrors.

A bicycle is a two-wheeled vehicle. Bikes are normally powered by you pedalling. They can be hard for very young children to ride, so children often have tricycles instead.

A blimp is very similar to a zeppelin, but a blimp does not have a supporting structure inside the big, bullet-shaped balloon that holds it up. Blimps have a compartment under them for people to ride in, and are moved forward by propellors.

A boat is a vehicle that travels over water. Boats may be driven by the wind, by a motor, or by paddling them, like a canoe.

A bus is a large vehicle that is driven on roads. Buses are designed for carrying large numbers of people and their luggage.

A canoe is a small, narrow boat that moves forward as you paddle, like the people in the picture.

A car is a vehicle that is usually meant to carry between two and five people. Some cars can go very fast and are used in races, but most cars are just used by people to get to and from work, shopping or school.

A caravan, or travel trailer, is like a small house that is towed behind a car so you don't need to stay at a hotel when you are on vacation. Caravans are compact, but have one or more beds, an oven, closets, and sometimes even a toilet and shower.

A combine harvester is a large machine that harvests grains such as wheat, oats and barley. The combine not only removes the grain heads from the stalks, but it also separates the individual grains themselves from the heads.

The combine harvester was invented in the United States in 1834, but a commercial version was invented in Australia in 1885.