It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas all around the Maine Discovery Museum.

Over the rest of December, the Bangor museum’s staff is offering a number of activities to help make the holidays merrier for children and their parents.

Since the holidays are often a time for children, let’s start with a gift for parents: Parents’ Night Out, set for 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17. Children can be dropped off at the museum for a pizza dinner, art and science activities, supervised playtime and a gift for each child.

The museum holds these events a couple of times a month, except during the summer, explained Trudi Plummer, the director of education.

“The holidays are most popular,” Plummer said. “Parents have enough time for dinner and a movie, or to clean up the house, or to get serious shopping done. Parents are very happy to have a safe place with a lot of fun activities for children. We have a highly qualified staff, and they know we take good care of the kids.”

Parents’ Night Out is limited to 40 children a session.

“We can schedule special activities,” Plummer said. “We know who’s coming and how old they are, so we can tailor it to them.”

The cost is $17.50 per child for nonmembers or $15 per child for members, with siblings getting in for half price. Children age 4 and up are welcome.

The staff is also planning a number of activities for children. These include stargazing, making stenciled gift wrap, gingerbread houses, creative gifts and cranberry garlands and learning about Christmas around the world (including Plummer’s native Germany) and Kwanzaa (Hanukkah was explored earlier this month). Also, on Dec. 30, Nancy Nye brings her Milkweed Puppets to the museum for one or two shows. (See sidebar for complete details.)

During school vacation week, too, Plummer has organized Winter Camp ’04, for children age 5 and up. Sessions are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dec. 27-30 and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 31.

Topics this year are: Dec. 27, “Time Traveler”; Dec. 28, “Abracadabra Science”; Dec. 29, “Artists at Work”; Dec. 30, “Where the Wild Things Are”; and Dec. 31, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

Parents can sign their children up either by the day or for the entire week. Costs are $35 per child per day ($28 per day for members), with Dec. 31 costing $5 less. Preregistration is open until Dec. 23.

Plummer said that staffers are never sure what to expect during the holidays.

“It can be very busy, or dead in the water,” she said. “We look for activities that are a littler simpler, things kids can do at their own pace.”

For more information, call 262-7200 or access www.mainediscoverymuseum.org. Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 and dmcgarrigle@bangor

dailynews.net.

MDM holiday activities

. Friday, Dec. 17: 3:30 p.m., Stenciled gift wrap; 5:30-9, Parents’ Night Out.

. Saturday, Dec. 18: 1 p.m., Winter Solstice with Penobscot Stargazers; 2, Shooting Stars art project.

. Sunday, Dec. 19: 2 p.m., Christmas Around the World; 3, Gingerbread House Workshop (additional charge).

. Tuesday, Dec. 21: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Creature Feature; 2 p.m., Open Art Studio: Cranberry Garlands.

. Wednesday, Dec. 22: 10:30 a.m., Little Ones’ Art: Cinnamon Dough; 2 p.m., Open Art Studio: Fuzzy Felt Activities.

. Friday, Dec. 24: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Open Art Studio: Creative Gift Making; closing at 3.

. Sunday, Dec. 26: 2 p.m., Experience Kwanzaa.

. Thursday, Dec. 30: Milkweed Puppets with Nancy Nye.

. Friday, Dec. 30: Noon, celebrate New Year’s with snacks, hats and noisemakers; closing at 3.