Page 24 - British Museum: SYTYGIB Medieval Castle

There was plenty for kids to do throughout the castle. Unless children were from wealthy families, they wouldn’t go to school, so they were put to work instead.
Stable boys mucked out the areas where the horses were kept – and there were lOtS of horses creating lOtS of muck in those days. Kennel boys helped take care of the hunting dogs. Girls would help with cleaning the castle and mending clothes.
Please let it be a sparrow for dinner . . .
Sorry, it´s a cow.
In the kitchens, scullions and scullery maids were small boys and girls who
did jobs like dish washing and food preparation. A little lad might be given the task of turning the spit – the metal pole over the fireplace that had cow, pig and sheep meat skewered on it to cook. The modern equivalent would be spinning the big lump of doner meat in a kebab shop.
If you were a peasant kid you might end up collecting eggs, fetching water, gathering fruit and nuts or herding geese. If you want to see how good you are at that last one, but are short of geese, see if you can encourage a group of pigeons into your kitchen. Your parents will be WElL impressed.
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As poorer children got older, the chores done by boys and girls would start to differ. Boys would help plant seeds and harvest crops, repair tools and learn how to use a plough. Girls would be taught how to cook and preserve food, as well as milk cows, feed chickens and care for their little brothers and sisters.