Skateboard

[sanddrag]

A regular skateboard with a really well done instructional video.

Or, a skateboard with a small gas-powered engine.

[Capt.ArD]

what about a device that can control the speed of the skate board, so when the kid is first learning it goes at a slow speed so that he/she can learn to balance and turn and stop, and once they get better you can adjust the speed

That's a really good idea! to pull it off, you just need some little rubber pads like from a bike's brake system, and attach then to either end of a screw-type assmbly placed parallel to the trucks, with one pad touching the inside edge of each wheel. when you tighten the screw, it pulls the two pads togther. loosen the screw, it pushes them apart. thus, you can control the speed of the board by adjusting the amount of pressure the little pads exert on the wheels.
or something like that.

this would also be good for training staionary moves (kickflip, etc) in a small place, where you don't want the board rolling off and you have to chase it.

for longboarding, i would suggest a type of handbrake system, so the kid could slow down the board on a hill without bailing.