10 Family Fitness Ideas from Around the Country

Dance Through Lunch

12:15 p.m., Tuesday, Grenada Hills, California

It's lunchtime at Patrick Henry Middle School, but not everyone's in the cafeteria. Two sixth-graders are stomping to a techno beat in the school's cutting-edge fitness center, eyes glued to the TV screen as they play Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). They follow the arrows on screen that point left, right, forward, and back, then they step on corresponding markers on a foot mat. Currently, 20 percent of 75 middle schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District use DDR as part of their phys-ed program, 15 to 30 minutes, three or four times a week. The kids can't get enough. "I always hope, 'Please let there be DDR today,'" says one student.

For more info: Buy an at-home version of DDR for Xbox or PlayStation, or to hook into your TV, $30 and up; ddrgame.com.