Principle Approach Homeschool Method

The Principle Approach - Teaching Through Biblical Principles

If you’ve been searching for a homeschool method that doesn’t just add a Bible lesson to secular subjects but actually rebuilds education from a Biblical foundation up, the Principle Approach might be exactly what you’re looking for. This is not “Christianity lite” or devotional time tacked onto normal school - this is education the way America’s founders intended it, before progressive educrats got their hands on the system.

What Is the Principle Approach?

The Principle Approach was developed by Rosalie Slater and Verna Hall in the 1960s and ’70s as they researched how America’s founders were educated. What they discovered was revolutionary: the founders didn’t just learn about Christianity separately from their other subjects - they learned to see God’s principles operating in every subject.

The Core Idea: God has established principles that govern all of creation - from mathematics to government, from science to literature. These principles don’t change, and education should teach children to identify and apply these principles in every area of life.

The Foundation: The Bible is the source of all truth. Every subject - yes, every subject including mathematics, science, and geography - reveals something about God’s character and His design for the world.

The Famous 4Rs

The Principle Approach is built on what’s called the “4Rs” - a systematic method for studying any subject:

1. Research

Students learn to dig deep into the Biblical and historical background of a topic. They use the Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary (before modern revisionism watered down definitions) to understand words in their original, Biblical context. This isn’t surface-level googling - this is actual research.

2. Reason

Students think through the Biblical principles that relate to what they’re studying. They ask questions like: “What does this reveal about God’s character?” “What principles of creation am I seeing here?” “How does this demonstrate God’s design?”

3. Relate

Here’s where it gets practical. Students connect the principles they’ve discovered to other areas of knowledge and to their own lives. How does a principle from mathematics relate to government? How does a principle from history apply to family life?

4. Record

Students keep notebooks - beautifully written, thoughtfully organized records of what they’ve learned. This isn’t busywork. This is creating a permanent record of understanding that can be referenced for life.

The Noah Webster Connection

Noah Webster, the father of American education and creator of the first American dictionary, believed that you couldn’t properly educate children without teaching them Biblical truth in every subject. The Principle Approach uses his 1828 dictionary because it defines words according to their Biblical meaning and American Christian heritage - before modern dictionaries stripped out the Christian foundations.

Example: Look up “education” in Webster’s 1828 dictionary and you’ll find it’s rooted in bringing out the best in a person according to God’s design. Look it up in a modern dictionary and it’s just “the process of receiving instruction.” See the difference?

How It Works in Practice

Let’s say you’re teaching your child about the American Revolution. Here’s how the Principle Approach tackles it:

Traditional Approach: “The American Revolution happened in 1776. The colonists fought Britain for independence. George Washington was the general.”

Principle Approach:

  • Research the Biblical principles of self-government, liberty, and covenant that the founders understood
  • Reason through why these principles led to the specific form of government they created
  • Relate these principles to how we govern ourselves today, in our families, in our communities
  • Record these insights in a notebook with careful attention to presenting truth beautifully

Who Should Use the Principle Approach?

This method works brilliantly if you:

  • Are serious about providing an explicitly Christian education
  • Want your children to see God’s hand in every subject
  • Are willing to do some re-learning yourself (most of us weren’t taught this way)
  • Don’t mind that your child’s education will look nothing like the government school down the street
  • Value depth over breadth
  • Believe that beautiful presentation of truth matters
  • Want to raise children who can think Biblically about any subject thrown at them

This method will frustrate you if you:

  • Just want to get through the textbook and check boxes
  • Think Christianity and math should stay separate
  • Are looking for the quick and easy path
  • Want your child’s education to match government standards
  • Think pretty notebooks are a waste of time
  • Believe education should be “neutral”

The Strengths

Biblical Integration That Actually Integrates: This isn’t adding a Bible verse to your math lesson. This is completely reimagining what mathematics is from a Biblical perspective. Every subject becomes a revelation of God’s character and design.

Produces Independent Thinkers: Students trained in the Principle Approach don’t just memorize facts - they learn to think through issues by identifying and applying principles. This creates adults who can analyze any new situation through a Biblical lens.

Beautiful Work: The emphasis on creating lovely notebooks teaches children that truth deserves to be presented beautifully. This is the opposite of the sloppy, throw-away mentality that pervades modern education.

Historical Accuracy: By returning to original sources and the 1828 Webster dictionary, students get history and language as it actually was, not as modern revisionists want it to be.

The Challenges

Time-Intensive: You’re not going to sprint through subjects with this method. It’s slower, deeper, and more thorough. If you’re panicking about “keeping up with the public schools,” this will stress you out.

Parent Re-education Required: Most parents weren’t taught this way, which means you’ll be learning right alongside your children. Some find this exciting. Others find it exhausting.

Not Pre-Packaged: While there are Principle Approach resources available, you can’t just buy a complete curriculum in a box. You’re going to have to think, plan, and customize.

Notebook-Keeping Skills Needed: The beautiful notebook component requires some basic organizational and presentation skills. If you can barely keep your shopping list organized, this will be a learning curve.

Resources to Get Started

The main organization promoting the Principle Approach is Foundation for American Christian Education (FACE). They provide:

  • Teacher training courses
  • The Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary (essential)
  • Study guides for various subjects
  • Rosalie Slater’s books on the method
  • Verna Hall’s Christian History series

Key Resources:

  • Teaching and Learning America’s Christian History by Rosalie Slater
  • The Christian History of the Constitution by Verna Hall
  • Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language
  • Rudiments of America’s Christian History and Government

The Bottom Line

The Principle Approach isn’t for everyone. It requires work, dedication, and a willingness to think differently about education. But if you’re serious about raising children who understand that God’s truth applies to everything - not just Sunday School subjects - and who can think through any issue from a Biblical perspective, this method delivers.

This is education as spiritual formation. It’s academics as discipleship. It’s learning to see that all truth is God’s truth and that every subject, properly understood, points back to the Creator.

The public schools will produce workers and consumers. The Principle Approach aims to produce Christian leaders who can think Biblically, reason principally, and govern themselves - which is precisely what terrifies the educational establishment.

Fair Warning: If you’re looking for an easy homeschool method that mimics public education but with a Christian devotional tacked on, keep looking. But if you’re ready to reclaim education as it was meant to be - as training in Biblical reasoning and godly character - the Principle Approach might be exactly what your family needs.

The Principle Approach is challenging, time-consuming, and completely counter to modern educational theory. Which is precisely why it works.