This week, make bedtime stories an adventure.

Kids are being invited to wear their pajamas for an evening story hour Wednesday at Saint Joseph's College, 278 Whites Bridge Road in Standish, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Elementary education majors will be reading to children grades K-3. Kids can also participate in various activities and munch on snacks. The event is free. Books and activities will reflect winter themes.

Kids are invited to bring a blanket or a favorite teddy bear. No registration necessary.

Future bedtime stories programs and themes include Feb. 11 (Valentine's Day), March 25 (springtime activities), and April 29 (celebrating Maine). For more information call 893-7723.

I'm always on the lookout for museums and family attractions that offer a free admission day once in a while.

But this is the first time I've heard of any place offering free months.

The Owls Head Transportation Museum, a great collection of antique cars and airplanes near Rockland, is doing just that. Admission will be free for everyone in January, February and March.

Normally, admission to the museum is $10 per adult, and $25 for two adults with their kids.

For a complete rundown of what the museum offers, including directions, check out the museum's Web site.

Or call the museum at 594-4418.

Looking for a homemade gift that's not mostly construction paper?

Try the free tile making workshop at Colby College in Waterville.

It'll be 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Colby College Museum of Art and Freshwater Arts, Waterville.

Children will begin with a tour of the museum galleries focusing on decorative ceramic art, followed by the workshop at Freshwater Arts.

Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, call 207-680-2055.

The town of Standish has a great family-friendly event each month: A free movie night specifically for toddlers.

It's the second Friday of each month, in the town council chambers, at 6:30 p.m. The movies are G-rated. The next one is Friday.

The town advertises the event as a place where you can bring your youngsters to a movie without worrying about them "making noise, fidgeting, and getting up."
The organizers ask that you bring a blanket or something to sit on, and say that parents are required to stay.

There's even a concession stand, and refills on popcorn are free.

As of Wednesday, this week's movie hadn't been picked out. But you can try calling 642-2875 closer to show time, for more information.

The movies are at Standish Town Hall, 175 Northeast Road.

Raising Readers, the Maine group that gives out free books and bookbags to promote reading, will be having a party Friday to celebrate its latest anthology.

The party will be held at the Children's Museum of Maine on Free Street in Portland from 5 to 7 p.m.

Children will be able to meet and talk to some of the Maine authors and illustrators who worked on "Raising Readers: Stories for Maine Children." The authors and illustrators will read from their works, sign books and talk about what they do.

Children who attend can also take advantage of the regular exhibits in the museum, which has free admission on the first Friday evening of each month.

Sometimes it's a tough sell trying to get your kids to do something that's also interesting to you.

But I promise if you say "Hey, let's go to the candy factory," you won't get a fight.

And you can indeed visit the inside of a candy factory, for free, this coming Columbus Day at Haven's Candies in Westbrook.

For me, free admission is a huge draw. I might be very interested in taking my family to a place, but I often won't actually take them until there's a chance for free admission.

Such a chance is coming Saturday, when 19th Century Willowbrook Village in Newfield is having a free admission day.

Don't say the state doesn't give you anything for your tax dollars.

This Sunday, you get all the state parks and state historic sites for free.

It's the state's annual Maine Day, when Maine residents get into more than 50 state parks and historic sites without paying anything.

Sometimes, to find great free things to do with the kids, all you have to do is ask.

For years, I had driven by the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center off Route 1 in Falmouth and just assumed there was a fee to use it. Or at least you had to be an Audubon member, I figured.

OK, class, here's your homework in Frugal Family Outings 101:

Make a list of 10 museums, amusement parks or attractions you'd like to visit, then bookmark their Web sites and check every two weeks to see if they announce a free day.

The term “cheap dad” is sometimes used in derision. Wrongly. Unjustly.

So it’s nice to see the folks at the Boothbay Railway Village paying homage to dads who don’t like to shell out a lot of cash. On Sunday, Father’s Day, admission for all fathers is free. Usually, adults pay $9.