Bucket list trip to Amsterdam- need questions answered

Bruges is far for a daytrip from Amsterdam. It's very nice, but I think there are equally nice places much closer to Amsterdam. If you do want to see Bruges, definitely stay overnight; it's one of those places that gets very crowded with daytrippers, but has a different atmosphere by night.

For your museumkaart, you can buy it at any participating museum.

The advantage of daytrips within the Netherlands is that you don't need to plan them in advance. If you do want another one besides the Hague, Delft, and Rotterdam, look at Utrecht or Leiden. That's if you want cities. Rick's Netherlands book has all kinds of day trips, from cities to rural areas, complete with goof-proof travel directions.

If you do go to Rotterdam, get the free handout of the architecture walking tour from the tourist office. Not only is the walk very interesting, but it's a free map of the city center (the regular city map is not free). Don't miss the Cube Houses, or the Cube House Museum (not on the museumkaart but worth the small fee).

"I will be travelling to Amsterdam with my daughter the beginning of April. We will be staying near Sloterdijk station, so it appears transit options will be good. I am considering purchasing a tripkey , which looks like an ok deal. "
If your daughter is 11 years or younger, there would be cheaper options for her. Do check the deals at discoverholland.com. These can be cheaper than the regular train fares.

" Are they open 24 hrs?"

No, open between 0600 and 2330
https://www.hertz.nl/rentacar/location/netherlands/amsterdam/AMST50

" Will tripkey work for train from Amsterdam to Bruges, and does that go first to Brussels."

Tripkey is an ov-chipcard which only works in Dutch public transport

"It appears we should still purchase a museumcard, and am wondering if there is a location near Sloterdijk ? "

There is no such thing as a museumcard for tourists. The museumkaart can be bought in almost any museum. You will receive a temporary card, which is valid for a month. If you plan to return to NL within a year do register (via phone/mail) your card and you will receive a new card with a photo.

I hear good experiences with the TripKey card. According to the Hertz website their Schiphol location is open from 06.00 to 23.30.
Don't forget to check in and out! It comes with a EUR 20 penalty. Most stations have gates which only open when using your card, but some have not. At smaller stations you sometimes really have to look out for the yellow check-in/out posts.
Bruges (aka Brugge) would be a long day: even using the high speed Thalys service to Brussels it is at least a 3 hour journey. You have to buy separate tickets: TripKey is only valid for public transport in the Netherlands. Personally I'm not so enthousiastic about Brugge. It is too cute to be true, and it can be packed with day trippers.
Have instead a day trip to wonderful Enkhuizen (1 hr from Amsterdam Centraal station on a half-hourly direct train). Or consider an overnight stay in Zwolle (1,5 hrs from Amsterdam on a direct train or 1 hr with a change) and combine it with visits to Kampen (10 mins from Zwolle) and Zutphen (35 mins). All are historical cities, well geared to tourism but not overcrowded. Use the train planner of the Dutch railways.
With your luxurious 10 days, there is a lot more you can do. Haarlem, Leiden, Utrecht are all close by and have large historical city centres. Not many foreign tourists go to Naarden, a wonderfully preserved fortified town and easily reached from the station Naarden-Bussum.
It's a pity you bought the wrong type of card. (At least you have the benefit of free transport from and to the airport, and a canal tour.) The Museumkaart is available at most of the participating museums (here is a list, arranged by province).

Thanks for the replies. This helps so much.

When you say this is your bucket-list trip, why? What did you want to experience in the Netherlands/Amsterdam? There are many day trips that are interesting and far closer to Amsterdam than Brussels, or Bruges! Yes to Utrecht. But what about going north to Volendam, and taking a ferry to Marken, a dutch village island that had no access but ferry until recently. Or closer is Zanseshanse:

https://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/

Are you and your daughter able to ride bikes? Riding around Amsterdam is an exhilarating way to interact with the city. And with your bikes, you can spend an afternoon riding out of the city along the Amstel river; cows, windmills, rowers - the Dutch countryside 10 minutes outside of Amsterdam. Trains are very easy to catch on the fly - you just insert money in the machine and get your ticket. You could spend a day taking train and bus to the Kroller-Mueller museum and park, and rent bikes there and ride around, and then bus and train back:

https://krollermuller.nl/visit

In Amsterdam, I recommend the Old Church in the Attic, FOAM museum (photography), the Foodhallen for lunch or dinner, walking the nine streets.... I avoid central Amsterdam except for the Old Church in the Attic bc its more commercial, party-touristy.

I would say that navigating from place to place is straightforward. Now you need to decide what you want to experience, and plot your visit around these experiences...

Because of their proximity to Amsterdam the Zaanse Schans and Edam/Volendam/Marken can be unpleasantly crowded if you have the bad luck to be there when some coach parties arrive. Go a little further and you'll have a much better experience. And... almost everybody in the Netherlands speaks at least some English, so nothing can go wrong.

Thanks for the replies. My daughter (30ish) and I can ride bikes. We plan on taking in VanGogh (have reservation), Anne Frank huis, Rijksmuseum, and have booked a tour to tulip fields and windmills (all day). She wants to go to Bruges, so will take IC train, and stay overnite on the Thurs-Fri we are there. Will look at suggestions given and firm up plans.

MB, I sent you two private messages regarding Tripkey and also Wetlands Safari Amsterdam that includes biking. Have a wonderful trip.
Val

I too thought I was buying a tourist museumcard online -- but it turned out to be the Amsterdam City Pass Plus. Oh well, it still gets me into the 2 museums I really wanted to go to, plus a free canal tour and train ride to/from airport.

I will be there April 8 - 18. We're staying in Breda the first week for my husband's work -- so I will have to navigate the train from Breda to Amsterdam to do my site seeing. I'm thinking of scheduling a food tour with Hungry Birds, and have heard good reviews of the ThoseDamBoatGuys canal tour (which I would prefer to do rather than the free canal tour I get with my city pass -- so may do both).

Are you doing the Keukenhof tour with ThatDamGuide? I'm doing that one on the 12th. Looks like a lot of fun.