For this Christmas, a very hot item for older children and teens is the Ripstik Caster Board, which looks like the love child of a skateboard and a snowboard. Meant for children 8 and older (and parents are advised to supervise kids under 10), this inventive skateboard is divided into two traction pads, connected by a bar, with wheels underneath. The deck pivots, which allows the rider to “carve” (swoop or turn) in a way similar to snowboarders carving their way down a snowy hill. Learn all about Ripstiks, including viewing a YouTube video on how to ride them, at Ripstik Caster Board. The Ripstik comes in blue, green, pink, silver or red, and can be purchased online from $99 to $129. Onlinefitness.com sells them for $109.99. You can also find them at Sharper Image and Toys “R” Us. (Word of advice: Ripstik warns that the wheels can wear out fairly quickly, especially for beginners.) If your child isn’t quite ready to shred the street on a Ripstik, the classsic silver Razor scooter has been updated for this holiday season, as the Razor Cruiser Scooter. Instead of the slim platform of a regular scooter, this one has a wider, skateboard-like base. These run $49.98 at Sports Authority. A slower but still popular way to roll around (although kids aren’t allowed to wear them to school) are Heelys, those rolling sneakers with wheels set into them. Zappos.com has a huge selection of these, for boys, girls, men and women, in a variety of colors and designs. Any of these presents will help keep your kids occupied all the way through winter break, although not perhaps without some grumbling - the Ripstik site insists that users wear all the appropriate safety gear, including helmets and kneepads.