Common Sense

Here are some definitions I found; they all seem good:

1. Sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge; native good judgment.

2. sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.

3. the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way

4. equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have.

Common sense is only common in families or in certain environments. What is common for you is not common for me. I think the term common sense makes no sense these days actually. Environmental common sense would be pretty basic... such as it's common sense to anticipate certain weather and prepare for it, or it's common sense to "read" instructions 'before' starting a project... (and most of us dont do that, lol).
Our parents raise us a certain way, and when we do something that they didnt teach us they would probably then ask us "why arent you using the common sense you grew up with?".
You cant be expected to make sound judgments or use common sense if you were not taught how.

That's a tough one. Common sense is acknowledging the obvious. (or what should be obvious) Common sense tells you that you don't want a sunburn because it will hurt. Common sense tells you that if you want to achieve something, you have to work to achieve it.

I don't have any good examples.

Definition of common sense: choosing or making a wise choice so that the outcome is successful, suitable or just darn A OK. Being logical so that one is not harmed by the decision they make but that it contributes to their or someone else's well being. Hope that was broken down easily enough. Now to go look for a dictionary. I am sure you have some examples. What a wonderful question.

IMHO the phrase "common sense" refers to practices or customs generally accepted and regarded as advise-able through the ages.

I.e., it's common sense that "a stitch in time saves nine." It's common sense to wear a coat when it's cold outside, or to carry an umbrella when rain threatens.

Common sense could also be likened to "conventional wisdom" - though I do believe there are good reasons to go against conventional wisdom at times whereas most of the time it's not a good idea to go against common sense.

Hope that makes (common) sense. :P

Teach them about Occam's Razor - which basically says that the simplest answer is most likely to be correct.

http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~israel/Israel-Literalisms.pdf

Grandma T...YES:)

If its Cold out side ~ wear a Coat
If its Raining outside ~ take an umbrella
Dont go down a dark alley at night alone............
If the baby has poop in his diaper ~ Change It !!
If your thirsty~ grab a drink
there are soo many!

Common sense is to make decisions that lead to the most desirable outcomes.

Common sense...

the ability to use sound judgment
being practical
using past experience/history as a lesson and learn from it (as they say - those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it).
being able to differentiate between right and wrong and choosing "right" over "wrong"
Being able to acknowledge the obvious

There's no such thing as common sense. We have instincts and we have learned behaviors. What we term "common sense" are learned behaviors and values that most people in our particular cultural group learned so early in their lives that they have never questioned.